


One Foot in Front of the Other

by FlyBoy



Category: Hawaii Five-0 (2010), Stargate Atlantis
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-05-18
Updated: 2011-09-14
Packaged: 2017-10-19 13:40:37
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 101,982
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/201475
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FlyBoy/pseuds/FlyBoy
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In my humble opinion, two of the more attractive men on TV in recent years have been Alex O'Loughlin and Joe Flanigan.  O'Loughlin developed the new Steve McGarrett character on the CBS remake of the classic Hawaii Five-O series.  Flanigan developed the John Sheppard character on Stargate Atlantis, a television series I still miss.  After writing a few separate stories about the two characters I finally decided that it was time to bring the two together.  The only problem was that I didn't have a clue how to pull this off.  But then inspiration struck and before I realized what was happening I had nearly 150 pages of text and a story I really like.  So, good or bad, here is what I came up with to bring together two of my favorite male actors.  Enjoy.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Morning on the Beach**

One foot in front of the other. One foot in front of the other. Over and over and over again one of Steve's bare feet smacked down on the firm, wet, cool sand as he ran along the beach. One foot in front of the other with a smooth, steady rhythm achieved with years of practice.

Over his lifetime Steve had run untold thousands of miles. Every morning like clockwork he was up and out of the house to run along the beach as the sun peeked up over the horizon. Rain or shine, weekday or weekend, holiday or workday, happy or sad, tired or energized. Every morning he ran. It was part of who he was. It was how he stayed centered, focused. It was a sign of how driven he was. One foot in front of the other. He didn't think about how many miles he had run or how many he had yet to run. He simply focused on putting one foot in front of the other, one step at a time.

Morning was a popular time to jog on the beach. As a sign of his focus, Steve didn't even notice the other jogger running along the beach in the same general direction at first. The guy was like a hundred other joggers on the beach in the morning – trim, toned without being overdone, wearing jogging shorts and a tan and nothing else. Like Steve, the other guy had a look of concentration on his face. Like Steve, he probably was alone on the beach in his mind.

Steve wasn't sure what made him look at the guy. At first he just noticed that someone was running nearby, but didn't pay him much attention. Oh yeah, guy jogging on the beach. Right. Nothing to distinguish him from a hundred other joggers he might pass while out for his morning ritualistic run.

Without intending to, the two men fell into a sort of natural rhythm. They were after all about the same height, had legs about the same length, and had a focused, driven stride earned by logging a lot of miles in their lives. The only real difference was that while Steve was barefoot, the other guy wore running shoes.

Glancing without really noticing, Steve subconsciously kept track of the other runner. Stride after stride they matched one another. Until they didn't. With a sharp and sudden cry of pain, the guy who had a second earlier been running, was on the ground grimacing in pain.

Steve instinctively stopped and ran to the guy, "What's wrong?"

Through clenched teeth, the other guy grimaced out, "Cramp!" He grabbed his leg.

Looking down, Steve saw the muscles in the guy's right calf spasm uncontrollably in a clear, classic muscle cramp. Steve had been there many times himself. No matter how much you stretched, no matter how many miles you logged, sometimes muscles cramped up and when they did there was nothing you could do but ride it out.

Steve dropped to his knees beside the guy. He didn't know the guy but he could clearly identify with the stranger. He instinctively wanted to do something to help the man who was clearly in pain, but he also knew that there was not a thing he could do until the rebellious calf muscle calmed it's tantrum.

"Take my hand," Steve ordered as he reached out his hand to the stranger. "Do it!" he said when he saw the guy hesitate. When the man took his hand in his grip Steve instructed, "Squeeze! It'll help you get through it. I know."

The stranger did as instructed. For anyone who knew him, that fact in itself was a surprise. When fiercely independent was defined they put his face in the dictionary as the proto-typical example.

"Breathe! Squeeze!" Steve ordered. Five seconds ticked past. Steve repeated his orders and the other man did as advised. Ten seconds. Fifteen seconds. Finally the spasm that gripped the muscles of his right calf started to subside. The pain was finally easing. With one final shudder he dropped back onto the sand and lightened his grip on Steve's helping hand.

The man drew in a deep breath and closed his eyes for a second trying to re-center himself. He had been in such a perfect state while running but that moment was gone, taken away from him with a suddenness that seemed impossible.

Seeing his fellow-jogger in less misery, Steve released the man's hand and moved so that he was kneeling at the man's outstretched legs. While the man had his eyes closed trying to re-achieve his focus, Steve reached out his big hands and gripped the man's leg. Quietly he worked the muscles with skilled hands. His fingers knew what to do to take away some of the residual tension that remained.

Gradually he extended his massage outwards from the focal point of the spasm. While the spasm had been focused in one area, it had of necessity radiated outward and impacted all of the surrounding muscles. Steve knew that by working those muscles now, at this point post-spasm, the recovery would be eased.

The man sighed. "Damn, that feels good. Your hands are amazing."

"Thank you," Steve said with a hint of a smile.

Opening his eyes to look at his rescuer, the man returned the smile and said, "Actually, I think I should be thanking you."

"You're welcome. How's that feel?"

"Fantastic. I could get could lost in that feeling."

"Relax. Breathe out. Deep breath in. Let the tension slip away. Relax."

"Anything you say, just don't ever stop doing what you're doing."

Steve chuckled. "Well, at some point I have to go to work." He continued to work his hands over the man's leg, realizing finally that the leg he was massaging was a very nice leg. A very muscular leg. A leg covered with beautiful, black hair, the color of the hair on the man's head … and his arms … and his chest. "Oh, crap!" he realized. "This guy is hot!" Unsure of how to extricate himself from this position, Steve kept massaging the muscles while he tried to think of what to do.

Fortunately his problem was solved when the man sat up and looked Steve in the eye and said, "Thank you. Most appreciated." Steve took that as a sign that he could stop. He remained kneeling on the sand, mesmerized by the man's eyes. He didn't know what color they were, but they were beautiful. They were filled with life. They were filled with mischief. They were … "Come on, Steve," he silently scolded himself, "get it together."

Standing, the man limped a little as he tried to walk a little bit.

Steve leapt to his feet and said, "Here, lean on me. My house is just over there," he said pointing to his place about a hundred yards up the beach. "Come, sit on the lanai for a few minutes."

The man wanted to object. He wanted to escape those incredible eyes, that boyish smile that was both innocent and impish at the same time. "All right," he said, not really knowing why he said it.

Steve smiled broader as he let the man lean on him.

"You're the perfect height," the man observed.

Steve chuckled.

"Why the laugh?"

"My partner is always telling me I'm freakishly tall. I tell him he's just abnormally short."

"You have a partner," he said as a combination question and statement. "Won't he be upset that you're bringing a stranger home? I mean, the sun's barely up and you haven't bought me a drink yet."

Realizing that his statement was misinterpreted, Steve explained, "No! My work partner. He's not my partner."

"Oh, good."

"Good?"

"Sorry," the man said apologetically as Steve helped him into one of the loungers on the lanai. "Let me rub that leg some more so the muscles don't clench up."

"I won't object. But I thought you had to get to work. Won't your partner be waiting for you?"

"He doesn't get up as early as I do. I like to start the day with a run as the sun is coming up. He doesn't like to start the day with anything physical … unless you count eating donuts."

Letting himself relax into the strong yet gentle hands that worked his leg, the man said, "You're painting an interesting picture. I'm getting an image of a freakishly short guy whose girth equals his height."

"No," Steve said by way of explanation. "He's really trim. I don't know how he does it the way he constantly eats junk food. He's hot, actually." Realizing what he had just said, Steve froze and said, "I can't believe I just said that. Sorry."

"For what?"

"I shouldn't have said that," was all Steve could think of to say.

"Why not? If the guy's hot, he's hot. I'm sure he's not as good looking as you."

Steve picked up on the compliment and smiled.

"I love your smile," the guy said. "It lights up your face, which is already pretty nice. Sorry. I shouldn't have said that. Now we're even," he said, matching Steve smile for smile.

"Thank you. Ditto."

"You don't get many compliments, do you?" the man sensed. "You should. You're really handsome."

"Thanks. You too."

"Thanks."

 

 **Pineapple and Coffee**

The two sat facing each other silently for 30 seconds before Steve said, "You want some coffee? I usually have some after my morning run."

"I'd love a cup of coffee," the guy said. Steve looked at the man's face, getting sucked into those eyes once again before pulling himself back to the moment.

"Can I help?"

"I got it," Steve answered before reconsidering. "But I wouldn't object to the company."

"Good." Together they walked into the house and made their way to the kitchen. The man's leg was feeling much better between the time and the ministrations of Steve's hands.

While the coffee brewed, Steve grabbed a fresh pineapple and proceeded to remove the shell and the core. He deftly cut the fresh fruit into chunks which he piled up in a big dish.

"That smells absolutely amazing!" the guy observed sincerely. "I love the smell of fresh pineapple."

Steve chuckled again.

"Now what?" the guy asked, confused.

"Sorry. My partner hates pineapple. He says he despises the smell and can't stand the taste. I, on the other hand, can't picture a world without pineapple. I eat it every morning."

"I don't know the guy, but he's nuts. Pineapple is one of the gifts of the gods to the human race." To prove his point he grabbed a chunk of the freshly cut fruit and shoved it into his mouth. "Wow!" he said sincerely, "that is freaking amazing!"

"Freshest of the fresh. Pineapples aren't grown commercially in the islands anymore. They're all mass-produced in Central America, the Philippines, Thailand, places like that. But a few farmers still grow them here for locals. I get mine from a guy each evening on my way home. I swear they're the best tasting. I don't know what he does or how he does it but they're amazing."

"You speak the truth, my friend."

Steve picked up a chunk of the freshly cut pineapple and tasted it for himself. "Hm," he agreed, "incredible."

"You cut a good pineapple, my underappreciated, handsome friend."

Steve smiled shyly, which was completely out of character for him since he typically wasn't shy in the least. "Hey, why do you say I'm underappreciated?"

"You speak of your partner as someone who is important in your life but yet at the same time you say he calls you freakishly tall, eats junk food while you exercise. It sounds like he doesn't appreciate the same things, and he seems a bit arrogant from the way you describe him … and it just seems like you don't get a lot of affirmation from him."

Steve wanted to disagree. "I'm sorry if I undersold him. He's really a great guy …"

"For a freakishly short guy," his newfound friend finished his sentence. The two men shared a laugh. Steve poured the coffee when it finished brewing. "Oh my God!" he said as he smelled the freshly brewed coffee. "If that tastes anything like it smells this is going to be the best cup of coffee I've ever had in my life." He took a sip and closed his eyes savoring the taste. "Yep. That's incredible coffee."

"Kona beans I picked up when I was over on Maui yesterday. They have just the perfect climate on the Kona coast to grow some incredible coffee."

"Oh course you can have the best beans in the world but if you screw up the roasting …"

"I know!" Steve agreed enthusiastically.

"Some places insist on burning the beans. I don't know why they think the burnt taste is a good thing. If the beans are good the roasting should let the natural qualities of the bean shine through."

"Right!" Steve agreed.

"Does your partner like Kona coffee?"

"Not so much," Steve admitted. "He's more of a 7-11 kind of coffee guy."

The guy scrunched up his face in a grimace. "I don't know if I want to meet this guy or run the other way."

"He's a great guy," Steve reiterated.

"Ok. I'll give the guy one more chance. But three strikes and he's out and he has used up two with the pineapple and the Kona coffee."

As the two men savored their coffee and munched on pineapple while standing in Steve's kitchen it occurred to Steve that they had even exchanged names. Holding out his hand in the universal sign of friendliness, Steve said, "By the way, I'm Steve."

Taking the proffered hand, the man said, "John. Nice to meet you Steve. Any man who rescues me from an embarrassing cramp while out running, who gives me great pineapple and coffee, and is as handsome as you are is a friend of mine."

Again with the unusual shyness, Steve blushed a tiny bit, not understanding his teenager-like reaction to the compliment. Still holding the man's hand, Steve looked up and was once again drawn into those luscious eyes. "You're not so bad yourself, John."

Even though he had been looking at the guy for quite a while, Steve seemed to realize for the first time that the guy was standing in his kitchen in just running shorts and sneakers. He noticed that the guy had sand on his back from where the cramp had sent him down onto the beach. "I just realize that you're cover with sand and sweat. Would you like a shower?"

"I would love a shower!" John hesitated a moment and added, "And just so you don't think I'm a total man-whore out trolling for men on the beach at sunrise, I don't usually accept offers of showers from strange men. In fact, I think this is my first."

"I'm not strange," Steve protested.

Joking with him, John said, "I thought you were freakishly tall."

"No. Like you, I'm just the right height. We can't help it if freakishly short people hang out with us."

"And feel inadequate," John added.

"I'll let you tell him that part," Steve said.

"Pit Bull in a chihuahua body?" John asked as they walked toward the bathroom off Steve's bedroom.

"I've always pictured him as a Doberman in a Dachshund body, actually, but you're headed in the right direction."

"I think I need to meet this guy," John said.

"Maybe later. First, shower." Steve didn't need to explain further. Taking a bold step, he leaned in and kissed his new found friend on the lips.

"Oh, yes! More. Please."

"Anytime, anywhere."

"Here. Now."

"Ok."

 

 **Danno Will Never Have Post-Pineapple Sex**

Somehow the two men managed to shed their clothes. For John this wasn't a difficult move since all he wore were sneakers and a pair of running shorts. Shedding his clothes first he stood naked in front of McGarrett which caused the man to stop in his own disrobing. He stared at John's naked body.

Looking down at his body and then back up at Steve he asked, "Is there something wrong? Was I not supposed to take my clothes off? Do I have grass stains on my ass or something?"

Steve shook his head to say no. "Nothing wrong. Quite the opposite. You are one of the hottest men I think I have ever seen in my life."

Now it was John's turn to blush. "You don't get out much, do you? I don't regard myself as all that attractive, just a basic guy … all right, basic guy with really nice hair."

"Huh?" Steve said, once again letting his eyes roam over his visitor's naked form.

"Clothes off, big guy. Shower." John helped Steve shed the last of his clothes and joined the man in the shower, letting the hot water wash over their bodies, washing away accumulated sweat and grim. They had a half-hearted effort to soap one another but quickly abandoned that and simply let their hands roam over one another's bodies. Throughout, their lips remained locked on the other man's lips in an intense kiss.

When they came up for air, Steve hugged John tight to his body and whispered in his ear. "I really like this."

"I can tell by the erection you've got."

"Ditto."

"Oh, yeah. Where did that come from?" John said when he looked down at his own crotch.

"Happens."

"When you have the right stimulation."

Before he could continue their banter, Steve heard his cell phone start to ring.

"Excuse me. Got to get that." He stepped out of the shower dripping water all over the floor in the process of grabbing the offending instrument. "McGarrett."

Even though he was across the room in the shower, John could hear the booming voice that came through the phone. "McGarrett! Where the fuck are you? Don't you know we work for a living? Are you planning to haul your freakishly tall body in here sometime today?"

"Danno, good morning to you, too."

"Cut the chit chat. Where are you and when are you getting here? Did you forget you wanted us all here early this morning?"

"Oh, crap, I forgot. I'll be there as quick as I can." Closing the phone he looked sorrowfully back at the occupant of his shower, the tall, dark, handsome and oh so sultry stranger with a hard on that was just begging to be sucked. Steve sighed and said, "I'm really sorry, but I've got to get to work."

"I know. His voice carries well."

"Big lungs in such a small body."

Steve grabbed a towel and wiped away most of the accumulated water on his body. "I'm gonna have to go. Where are you staying? I'll drop you on my way."

"Thanks." John quickly rinsed, toweled off and looked for his clothes.

"I'm so sorry," Steve said again. "I had visions of us …"

"Me, too. Your partner seems to be working really hard on his third strike."

"He's really a good guy, someone you want at your back when you go into a firefight."

"What kind of work do you do that involves firefights?"

"I run the governor's special anti-crime task force. We work out of the Palace downtown."

"My hotel is near there, so if you're going that way I'll accept your offer of a ride." Pulling his shorts back on and getting his sneakers tied, John asked, "You wouldn't maybe have a t-shirt I could borrow, would you?"

"Sure," Steve said, pulling one from a drawer and tossing it to John. Since their bodies were similar in size the shirt fit perfectly.

"Naval Academy," John read off the shirt. "You went to Annapolis?"

"Yep. Sure did."

"You still in?"

"No. Retired to head up the governor's task force."

"Oh, good."

"Good?"

"I wouldn't want to cause any hint of trouble for an active duty military guy. DADT and all that shit."

"You?"

"Retired Air Force Colonel."

"Colonel? Nice!"

Steve was now dressed as well and was guiding the two men toward the front door of his house.

"You meet me again later to pick up where we left off and I'll show you nice."

Steve smiled and said, "You've got yourself a date."

 

 **Hi-Ho, Hi-Ho, It's Off to Work We Go**

In the truck they raced through busy traffic on their way to the Palace. Without thinking, Steve drove straight to his office where he parked his truck. When he jumped out of his truck he stopped and said, "Crap! I was going to drop you at your hotel! I completely forgot."

As he made a move back toward his truck, John stopped him and said, "No! I know where I am and can get home from here."

"Thanks, John," Steve said with a smile. "I really am sorry to cut our shower short."

"I was really looking forward to the part that comes after the shower," John said with a smile that could be described as both lewd and lascivious. Steve moaned with frustration. "Oh, I'd so much rather do that."

"Meet me later and we will. And you'll have had all day long to think about what we can do together. You can think of our naked bodies rubbing against each other, our hands roaming over the other guys' butt and back, …"

"Enough! Stop! I cannot go into the office with an erection tenting out my pants!"

"Why would you have an erection?" John asked in his most angelic voice, batting his eyelashes provocatively.

"You know very well why, Mr. Cock Tease!"

"Me? Me? Never."

"Do you want a quick tour before you go?" Steve asked, hating the thought of parting company with this man, but desperately needing to change the subject.

"Sure," John said, also not wanting to say goodbye.

Steve guided the two men inside the Palace, up the grand staircase and into the 5-0 offices. He gave him the perfunctory tour which was cut short by Danny Williams yelling at them when he saw Steve. "Well, it's about fucking time, McGarrett!"

"Sorry, Danno, I was busy."

"Busy? You were busy? Well so are we – busy twiddling out thumbs because our leader didn't show up for work on time! Busy? You were busy. Well bully for you babe."

John leaned toward Steve and said, "That's got to be him, right?"

"Right."

Steve whispered, "He's cute."

Danny focused for the first time on the fact that Steve was not alone. He paused in his rant, took in the other guy, and said, "I'm sorry. I didn't realize Steve had company."

John stepped forward and reached out his hand, "Hi, I'm John. You must be Danny. I've heard a lot about you."

"You have? Why?"

"Why not?"

Danny saw the shirt John was wearing and asked, "McGarrett, isn't that your shirt?"

Looking at the shirt he said, "Lots of people wear shirts from the Naval Academy, Danny."

"Yes, but not all of them have that particular stain along with a rip in the sleeve near the right shoulder." He crossed his arms and smiled. "I am a detective, after all."

"Yes, Danny, it is my shirt." He left it there. Steve introduced John to his other co-workers while he heard Danny continue his rant in another room.

"Do you need to do something before he implodes?" John asked with concern.

"Nah. He'll run down after a while."

They stopped in Steve's office briefly, knowing that they had to part company. "So, …" Steve started.

"You need to get to work, and I need to get back to my hotel and find something to do with myself today."

"Have you ever been here before," Steve asked, intending to play tour guide (at least in terms of recommendations).

"Yes, I've been here a great many times." Seeing the disappointment on Steve's face, John offered, "But I don't know the restaurant scene. I was wondering if you might be free this evening for dinner? You pick a place you like and I'm sure I'll like it, too."

Steve smiled. "I can do that. I look forward to it."

"Me, too," John returned the smile. "Can I have a quick kiss goodbye?"

Steve glanced at the open door and listened for Danny's voice. Not hearing anything from beyond the door he advanced on John, wrapped his arms around the man and kissed him. Sighing, he forced himself to keep it brief. However, with his impeccable sense of timing, and Steve's bad luck, their kiss coincided perfectly with Danny's entrance into Steve's office.

"Oohhh! Excuse me. Didn't mean to interrupt," Danny said, quickly backing out of the office and disappearing.

"Oh, fuck," John said.

"No. Not a problem. I'll deal with him. It's about time he knew, anyway."

"I'm so sorry, man. I should never have asked to kiss you in your workplace. Crap! Crap! Crap!"

Steve shook his head. "No, seriously. It's not a problem. If he hasn't figured it out by now the man is a lousy detective – and he's actually a very good detective."

"I'm getting out now." With his head down in embarrassment, John turned and started out of Steve's office.

"Hey."

John stopped and looked up, raising his eye brow in silent questioning.

"Thanks," Steve said.

"For what?" John asked, confused.

"For deciding to run this morning, for being on the beach when I was on the beach, for having a leg cramp, …"

"My pleasure. Well, actually, the cramp wasn't a pleasure, but you helped it to be bearable. So, thank you."

"I'll pick you up at 7," Steve said.

"I'm looking forward to it. See you then," John said as he left the office.

Like clockwork on a finely tuned Swiss time piece, Danny was in Steve's office within 30 seconds of John's departure. Steve was absolutely certain that his partner had watched for John to leave and had headed into Steve's office immediately upon his departure.

With a very determined look on his face, Danny dove straight into the heart of the matter. "So Steven, why was that man kissing you?"

"He wasn't kissing me."

"He wasn't kissing you? I beg to differ my friend."

"He wasn't kissing me."

"He wasn't kissing you. I see. So tell me, please, what was going on?"

"I was kissing him."

Danny paused, held up his right hand, and then said slowly, "You were kissing him. Now just how does that differ from him kissing you?"

"I was kissing him."

Danny cocked his head to one side, held up both hands, and then stopped, deciding on a different approach. "So Steven …"

"Yes, Daniel."

"Steven, who was that man you were just kissing? And why were you kissing him?"

"His name is John. And I was kissing him because I like him."

"You like him. Good. Because his lips were getting rather close to yours. No, actually, more than close. I'd say … and this is just an observation, mind you … that your lips and his lips were touching."

Steve kept his absolutely perfect poker face, simply stared at his partner, and said, "That's right." Danny wanted more but Steve was determined to make him work for the information.

Danny smiled and shook his head in frustration. "You know very well what I mean, you smug …"

"Careful, Danno."

"Cut the crap, Steve. Who was that guy?"

"Like I said, his name is John."

"How long have you known John?"

Steve looked at his watch before answering. "About three hours."

"Three hours," Danny said incredulously. "Three hours? You do move quick, don't you?"

"They don't call me Smooth Dog for nothin'."

"Three hours."

"That's what I said."

"Ok. So how did you meet 'John' three hours ago?"

"Running."

"Running?" Danny asked, becoming increasingly exasperated with his friend.

"Yes," Steve answered while keeping his poker face in place.

"You met 'John' three hours ago while running. Were you both running?"

"Yes."

"So you picked up some stranger on the beach!?" Danny practically shouted. "Are you insane? Do you have any idea who this guy is? Where he comes from? What he's doing here? What his background is? What his last name is?!?!" Danny was in full out, flat out rant by the time he got his last question out.

Steve leaned back in his chair, crossed his arms, looked at Danny and said, "Did you think I was celibate, Danno?"

That question drew Danny up short. He once again cocked his head - dare I say it, much like a dog trying to figure out what someone wanted them to do – and looked at Steve, speechless.

"Chin! Kono!" Steve shouted as he jumped up out of his chair. Seconds later his two other colleagues raced into his office. "What's wrong boss?"

"Nothing wrong at all. This is a red letter day. I just made Danny Williams speechless," Steve said proudly.

The power of speech quickly returned and Danny let rip with a new rant. "I've seen you do a lot of stupid things in the time I've known you, but picking up a stranger on the beach and then doing … God knows what with him … and then trying to lick his tonsils clean in your office."

"Relax, Danny. I'm having dinner with him tonight and I'll be sure to ask all of your questions."

"While your feet are firmly planted on the floor, please," Danny ordered like an outraged mother instructing her adolescent daughter in proper dating etiquette.

"Yes, mother," Steve replied.

"Now you're mocking me," Danny complained.

"Yes," Steve simply answered.

"Bite me," he said as he started to storm out of Steve's office. He stopped, turned back, and said, "Believe it or not, your friends are concerned about your well-being and happiness and don't want to see you getting yourself into some mess with a stranger …"

"So you'd be happier if it was just a one-night stand?"

"Yes. NO! Yes! No! You know very well what I mean!"

Enjoying himself beyond belief, Steve crossed his arms and smiled at his partner. "Not really. Why don't you try it again."

Danny actually growled at him and bared his teeth a little in frustration. One hand was again raised into the air in front of him – the man couldn't talk without his hands – Danny said, "I don't want to see you get hurt."

"And apparently you don't want to see me get laid, either."

"Actually, that's right. I wouldn't want to have to see that. And I'm going to be haunted by the image of you naked and nasty with that guy for the rest of my life! Thank you very much! You've just made my future therapist a very happy – and rich – man."

"So I have your permission to get laid?"

"Yes! You can get laid if you want. Go fornicate."

"Fornicate?"

"Fuck! All right? You happy? Fuck! Fuck! Fuck! Try to introduce a little class and decorum to the situation and see what it gets you," Danny complained.

"Thank you for your permission to have sex."

Both hands in the air this time, the growl louder, Danny said, "Stop twisting my words! You know very well what I'm talking about. You're simply playing with me."

"Yes," Steve said, smiling.

"I hate you. I hope you know that."

"You don't hate me, Danno. You worship the very ground I walk on."

Sighing, Danny looked at Steve, trying to fix a truly pitiful expression on his face. "Babe, you don't spend a lot of time in the dating pool. All I'm saying is someday you're gonna meet …" He paused in mid-sentence. "Hey, wait a minute. Since when do you fuck guys?"

"I wondered when you were gonna ask that question. Since I was 16 actually."

"Sixteen?"

"I know, by New Jersey standards that probably made me a late bloomer. But, yes, sixteen. And for the record, we fucked each other."

Danny squeezed his eyes shut and shouted "Naaaaaaa naaaaaa naaaaa!" Breathing deeply he said, "I did not need to know that detail about you, Steven."

"Yes, mother."

"Mock me if you want, but I've got your best interests in mind."

"You know, Grace is going to hate it when she goes on her first date and you have this same talk with her."

"Oh, no, that won't be a problem since she's not allowed to date until she's 40 – or I'm dead – whichever comes last."

"You know very well she's gonna go on dates long before she turns 40. And for the record, you're a great father. But you're a lousy mother, so stop trying to play the part."

Danny held up his finger and said, "You may go out with this guy but only if you promise to play safe and don't trust him with your heart unless you know him."

"Danno, go to work. As I recall, you called me away from a hot naked man in my shower because you needed me here …"

"You're not going to be happy until I'm mentally scared beyond all recognition, are you?"

"Huh?" Steve said, confused.

"You …"

Steve shrugged. "Yessssss," he said, still not getting what Danny was saying.

"You … and that gigolo … naked in your shower. There. You happy? I said it. You were NAKED. He was NAKED. You were NAKED … TOGETHER. HAPPY?"

Steve had the biggest smile possible on his face. "Yes, actually, more than you could possible know."

"Well, then, my work here is done."

"Not by a long shot, my friend."

"Don't I know it. Turning you from an overgrown adolescent into an adult is going to age me by decades."

Danny turned and walked out of Steve's office, muttering to himself. "I get no respect around here. You try to help the guy, and look what it gets you. Years of therapy!"

 

 **Dating 101**

The remainder of the workday passed quickly for everyone as they worked diligently to try to thoroughly document one of their cases for the District Attorney's office. Steve hated paperwork but at the same time knew that it was a necessary part of the job and that without a well-documented case file that all of their efforts were wasted. And Steve did not believe in wasted effort, especially not when the stakes were as high as they were in the case in question.

At 6:30 all four of the teammates were feeling wiped out. But they had earned their fatigue – they were finished. The files were as complete as they could be and they had been forwarded electronically to the appropriate attorney so that he (or she) could prosecute the case.

Steve moved around the office turning off coffee pots, lights, and copy machines, all the while haunted by a nagging feeling that he was forgetting something. Kono and Chin said good night and left together.

Danny leaned against the wall of the office with his arms crossed and an evil smile on his face, all the while studying Steve, who by the way was utterly oblivious to being studied.

Turning off his own office lights, Steve looked at Danny and said, "Night, Danno."

"Tired, Steve?"

"Totally. I just want to crash on the sofa and watch some utterly mindless tv program. Although I'll probably just fall asleep in the middle of what it is. Night."

"Yo! Smooth Dog!!" Danny yelled at the man.

"What?" Steve asked, totally confused. "What's wrong?"

Danny didn't say anything but simply looked at Steve with a cat-that-ate-the-canary look on his face.

"What?!?" Steve asked.

"Forgetting something?"

Still not getting it, Steve repeated his question. "What?!?"

"Jessssh!" Danny said, throwing his hands in the air. "Do I need to go with you and tell you what to do with your dick?" Steve looked more confused. "Your DATE, idiot!!!"

"Oh, fuck!"

"Yes!! Now you've got it!" Danny said with satisfaction.

"Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck. What time is it!?! Oh, crap, I'm gonna be late! I must look like crap. I wanted to go home first, shower, change clothes. Oh, crap, crap, crap, …"

"Calm down, Smooth Dog, before you have a coronary. Where you meeting the man of your dreams?"

"His hotel, over on the beach." He gave the name of one of the better known big hotels, popular with tourists.

"Come on," Danny said, "I'll drive you."

"You drive like an old lady, Danno."

"And you drive like a reckless teenager. And if you think I'm letting you drive now when your exhausted and your hormones are raging out of control, you're nuts. You'd probably run over a bunch of tourists and then try humping the bellman of the hotel."

Their conversation continued in much the same way while Danny drove them the few blocks over to the hotel. When he dropped Steve off at the front he grabbed the man's arm and looked him in the eye, saying, "Now you know what to do if he gets too forward, right? You tell him you're not that kind of guy! Right?"

"Danno, bite me!"

"No, thank you, that's why you're going on a date with tall, dark and handsome in there. Now here," he said, holding something out to Steve.

Steve took what turned out to be a quarter. Utterly confused, he looked at Danny and said, "Danno, you are nuts. What the hell is this?"

"A quarter. If he gets fresh with you, you go to the nearest pay phone and you call me and I'll come get you."

"Danno, you are a pig from hell."

"Who loves ya', babe?" he yelled as Steve got out of the car.

Leaning back in the window, Steve said, "I may be tired. I may have had an abnormally long … dry spell, I may be horny beyond belief, but I do know that there aren't any pay phones any more. This is the age of cell phones, and yes, mom, I've got my cell phone."

"Have fun, babe. Make me proud!"

Steve smiled through the open window and said, "Careful, Danno. I'll be forced to tell you which of his nipples is more sensitive, what kind of lube he likes to use, and whether he's a top or a bottom."

Danno shrieked, covering his ears. "Oh, get outta here!" Danny watched the big man stalk across the driveway and into the huge, open air lobby of the hotel. Danny saw the man from that morning apparently waiting in the lobby for Steve to arrive. Danny grimaced when he saw Steve stick out his hand like he was meeting some random guy in a hotel somewhere, not the man he was gonna get naked with after dinner. "Oh, babe," he muttered, "you are beyond hopeless."

Danny shook his head in frustration, started his car and moved it out of the driveway and parked it nearby. By the time he got the windows closed and the doors locked – and flashed his badge at the scolding bellman – Steve and his date had moved into the hotel's restaurant and had been seated.

With one quick stop in the 24 hour convenience store next door to the hotel, Danny strode into the hotel like a man on a mission. He was after all on a mission – he was determined to save Steve from himself, and that was turning out to be a full-time job. Walking into the restaurant, he easily spotted his target, walking directly up to the table.

Steve didn't spot Danny until the man stood right next to their table. In fact, it was his date that spotted Danny first.

"Detective Williams. I'm surprised to see you here."

"Danny!" Steve said in disbelief. "What the hell are you doing here?"

"Trying to save you from yourself, Smooth Dog."

"Danny, go away! Please! I'm begging you!"

"That's why you need my help. You see, you're supposed to beg your date, not me."

"Danny, please! Leave! Now!"

Utterly ignoring Steve's words, Danny grabbed an empty chair from a neighboring table and pulled it up to Steve and John's table, parking himself while he rooted around in a small plastic bag he was carrying. "Here," Danny said, thrusting something toward Steve.

"Oh, dear God!" Steve said when he saw what Danny was holding out to him.

"You, too," Danny said to John, handing him the same thing.

"Condoms?" John asked.

"Yes. You see, here's the facts. Steve doesn't have an biological family here anymore. But he's got me. I've got his back, like he's got mine." John's eyebrows went up in disbelief as he listened to Danny speak.

Suddenly realizing that his words could be taken in a sexual way – especially by two men on a date, two men that he had just handed condoms to – he stopped and closed his eyes. Taking a deep breath, Danny said, "Ok. One more thing to put on the agenda for the future therapist." One more deep breath – he was persistent – and Danny continued. "So, John … nice to see you again. How's it going? Hope you had a good day. Several things. One, Steve is a good man. No, he's one of the best men you're likely to ever meet. So, two, treat him well. Three, if you don't, I'm from New Jersey so I know how to get rid of the body so no one will ever find it. Four, Steve's exhausted tonight so be patient – he's probably a little off his game. Five, he's had a little dry spell, so his game is probably a little rusty."

"Oh, dear God," Steve muttered.

"Steven! I'm speaking!"

"When aren't you speaking, Danny?"

Ignoring Steve, Danny continued, "Six, you've both got some condoms so if you … if you … if you decide to do something that … oh, hell, play safe boys. I don't need the details."

"Danny, go talk to your daughter. I hear she's got a line of eligible bachelors lined up at the door wanting to take her out on dates."

Danny looked at Steve with an inscrutable expression. The ever present finger went up into the air. "No. She doesn't date until she's 40. And you, Mr., just be glad I'm not making you wait until you're 40 to date."

While Steve was dying of embarrassment, John had a look of absolute delight and pleasure on his face. Looking at John, Danny said, "You. What's with the look? Huh? Yes, I'm talking to you. He's my friend and I watch out for him."

John smiled at Danny and said, "I'm not laughing at you, Detective Williams. I'm thinking I must have picked a great man to have dinner with if he's got such loyal and persistent friends."

Danny was for the second time in one day, speechless. The fact was not missed by Steve. "Twice in one day. This is unheard of." Looking across the table at John, he explained. "You see, Danny … he talks a lot. In fact, he never shuts up. I've offered to pay him to stop talking … and it didn't work – he kept on talking. I think he must talk in his sleep. Secretly I've been convinced that that was the real reason his wife divorced him – she needed him to shut up so she could get some sleep. So, to see him speechless is sort of a notable thing."

"Notable, babe, but only momentary. I'm quick on my feet. I mean, really, I've survived as your partner for months now without getting shot a second time so I think I'm pretty good. Now, back to the point at hand. You're both adults – one of you clearly, one of you eventually will turn into an adult eventually with my help. I'm tired and I'm going home. Remember, Steve, you're tired and men don't perform at their peak when they're tired." Turning to John he said, "Be patient with him. If possible, let him sleep tonight and do him in the morning and you'll both have a better experience."

Danny stood, returned his chair to the table from which he had borrowed it, and said, "You gentlemen have a nice dinner. Oh, and by the way, dinner is on me, tonight. Your check has already been covered. I even threw in a nice bottle of champagne. Not the most expensive, but a decent one. I am a lowly public servant after all. But for my friend, hey, what's money. Night guys. Don't do anything I wouldn't do." Reconsidering, he said, "Well, scratch that. I wouldn't date either one of you, or anyone with a penis for that matter. Not that I have anything against penises …"

"Danny, good night."

"Good night, Steve. Oh, and Steve, when you're on a date, you don't shake your date's hand. You give him a hug, you grab his ass, you give him a quick kiss. Anything but shake his hand, babe." Danny waved and was gone.

Steve closed his eyes and tried to sink down in his chair.

"I'm so sorry …" he started.

"That was the sweetest thing I think I've ever seen!" John said before Steve could continue.

"Huh?"

"What your friend just did. I'm really impressed. I wish I had a friend like that. I don't personally know of very many straight guys who would buy condoms for two guys to use on their date, or who would … impress upon the guy his friend was dating about the need to treat his friend well. I learned a lot about you just now, Steve. Your friends think very highly of you. That tells me a lot about you."

Steve looked mildly confused. "You really are tired, aren't you?" John asked when he saw the confused look on Steve's face.

"More than you could possibly know."

John laughed pleasantly and said, "Well, let's have a nice dinner, drink some champagne, get some sleep, and make plans for another date when you've got your game on."

"He really said that, didn't he?"

"Yes, he did. I found such honesty absolutely refreshing."

"Please," Steve said, "do me a favor."

"Sure."

"Don't ever, ever, ever tell him that."

Both men shared a laugh that set them both at ease.

"Come on," John said, "let's look at the menus, order something to eat, and then get you into bed." Realizing that his remark could have multiple meanings, John quickly corrected himself, "into bed to sleep. But first, free food."

After looking through the menu for a few minutes they placed their orders. Neither man had cravings for anything elaborate that evening. The waiter returned with their champagne, pouring a glass for each. "Since neither of you is driving tonight, you both get to partake."

Steve looked up and said, "How do you know we're not driving tonight?"

"Detective Williams. He left very detailed instructions."

Steve sighed and chuckled. "Danno. What am I going to do with you?"

John heard and had a rebuttal. "I think the more accurate question would be, what would you do without him? You two seem to have a symbiotic link that works amazingly well."

"Maybe a little, but he really stepped over the line tonight."

John disagreed. "And you wouldn't do something equally extreme for him? You haven't done some equally meaningful for him?"

Steve immediately thought about his conversation with the governor about Rachel's husband, Danny's daughter, development zoning laws, and visitation rights. He conceded that maybe, possibly, that had been a little out of the ordinary. But he knew Danny would have done the same for him … and … in fact … just had. Steve sat back in his chair and smiled at his personal revelation. "Yeah, you're right. I have. And we do seem to synch somehow. I don't know how or why since we are totally, absolutely, completely, utterly – did I saw 'absolutely'? – different people."

"That's probably why you get along so well. Your strengths compliment his and vice versa. Between the two of you, you must be quite an intimidating force be reckoned with."

"I suppose you're right." They paused for a moment while Steve reflected. "But enough about my partner – also known as Mother Hen – tell me something about yourself. I don't even know you last name."

"Ok. First, can I borrow your cell phone for a second?"

"Sure."

"Is Danny set up on speed dial?"

"Yeah, number two."

"Two?"

Steve conceded, "The governor is number one."

"You have the governor on speed dial? I'm impressed."

"I work for her. We keep in touch."

"Ok," John said, dialing speed dial number two.

Danny answered almost immediately, "Yeah, Babe, what's up? Is he treatin' you like a princess yet? Did he try anything inappropriate? Remember, feet on the floor."

"Yes, Detective," John said.

"John? What are you doing with Steve's phone?"

"I borrowed his cell phone to call you. You got a minute?"

"Sure."

"Quick question. I assume you've run a background check on me by now with the photos you took at the restaurant, and you've probably got my name now with facial recognition software and government databases. Don't even try to argue the point. I know you've done it – it's what I would do."

"All right," Danny said skeptically but listening.

"Ok. I'm gonna hand the phone to Steve for a second so you can tell him my name. Ok? Here's Steve."

Steve had been listening to the entire conversation, mortified at the thought of Danny doing a background check on his date. When he had the phone he simply said, "Danny. Please, please, please tell me you aren't doing a background check on my date. Please. Please." And he sighed at Danny's answer.

"Of course I am. You didn't have his name. Want to hear it?"

"No."

As if he hadn't even spoken, Danny gave him the man's name and started a brief recitation of biographical background.

Steve was overwhelmed with disbelief. Holding the phone to his ear, he closed his eyes and shook his head back and forth in denial. "I don't believe this. Danny. Danny. Stop! Enough! Danny! I don't care if his record is backstopped. Danny. Danny. Are you listening? Danny? Williams! Shut up! I'm hanging up now. Danny. Danny? Danny, go home and stop investigating my date. Ok? Can you do that? Really? Good night, Danno." Steve ended the conversation and held the phone to his forehead, his eyes still closed.

"I am so sorry," Steve said.

"Steve, don't be! I could tell from my brief encounters with him that he's like a dog with a bone – he doesn't quit until the bone is gone! And I still think it's sweet."

"I am sorry," Steve repeated. He put his phone down, picked up his champagne glass and downed the entire glass in one swallow. Their waiter immediately refilled his glass, which he again downed rapidly.

By the time that their entrees were delivered to the table Steve was fairly mellow. As they ate the delicious food, John asked, "You're not going to ask me about the backstop in my record?"

"Nope."

"Why not?"

"They're in my record, too. I can't tell you about mine anymore than you can tell me about yours. No need to even bring it up."

"Damn, you're good," John said with an admiring smile.

"Thank you," Steve responded, surprised by the compliment. For him it was just a matter-of-fact approach to a fact of life. Covert missions required absolute confidentiality. He knew that it was a waste of time to even bring up the issue for discussion.

"What branch were you with?" John asked.

"Navy. SEAL."

"You were a naval SEAL? Wow! Those guys are good."

"Thank you. And you?"

"Air Force. Pilot."

"For all we know, you could have flown me and my team into a mission sometime."

"Could well be. Who knows. Doesn't matter, anyway. We're together now. And I suspect if we had known each other then neither one of us would have paid the other any attention – we would have both been focused on the mission with laser-like precision. That's what our work required."

They finished their entrees and the last of the champagne. Steve downed two glasses of water as well in an effort to stave off a headache the next morning from the sulfites in the wine. Both passed on dessert and got up to walk back to the beautiful lobby, taking in the gorgeous waterfall and carefully arranged orchids in full bloom.

Steve felt nervous at that point, not knowing what to do. His hands were shoved firmly into his pants pockets.

John nudged his shoulder and said, "You look beat, Steve. Come on up to my room and sleep. Ok?"

Steve thought for a minute and said, "Ok." His mind flashed back to something Danny had said earlier, something about not shaking your date's hand but … Steve took his hands out of his pockets and gave John a quick hug, dropping his hands to the man's waist and then his butt before quickly letting go.

"Come on," John said, taking Steve by the hand, "let's go to bed."

"Ok."

At the elevators while they waited for a car to arrive John turned his head and said, "Good night, Danno."

Steve heard, "Good night. Damn."

Keeping a firm hold of Steve's hand, knowing he would try to pull away and go beat the crap out of his partner, John pulled Steve into the empty elevator and pushed the button.

"He was in the lobby?!?" Steve asked, incredulous.

"Of course."

Steve shook his head and paced as much as the little elevator allowed. "I don't fucking believe it. He wanted to punch his fist into the wall of the elevator but he knew that that would probably hurt, so he hesitated.

"I think it's sweet."

"Sweet my ass," Steve said. "This is stalking."

"No, but if he shows up at the door to the room, then it's stalking. And by the way, you do have a sweet ass."

"He's probably got the room fully bugged with half a dozen cameras and mics so that he can critique my performance. I wouldn't be surprised to see him pop up while we're having sex holding up score cards: 9.6, 9.3, 9.1. Jesus."

John just laughed and gave Steve a quick hug. "It's a good thing he's cute."

"Cute only goes so far," Steve responded in irritation.

"So should I tell you now or later that one of the reasons he's doing this is that he's jealous and wants you for himself?"

Steve's face blanked. It wasn't confusion, it was simply blank. "Huh?" he asked.

"Danny. Your partner. He's hot for you."

"No way!"

"Yes, way!" John answered.

"Danny? Danny Williams Danny? Little Danny? No! No way! He's as straight as straight can be. Danny? My Danny? No! No way!"

John just laughed. "He's also a good friend, which is why he's doing what he's been doing to safeguard your well-being, but that's only part of it."

"You don't know him like I do. Trust me on this."

They were inside John's room by that time. Steve was still convinced that John was completely off-base and John was completely convinced that he was dead on the money with his analysis.

After a quick hug, John said, "No offense, big guy, but you stink. You need a shower."

"My morning shower got interrupted as I recall." He started for the bathroom, pulling his shirt off as he went. He stopped and said, "Do you want to join me?"

"Yes, but not right now. You're going to shower and then we're going to sleep. If I come in there with you there's no way I'll be able to keep my hands off you."

Steve smirked – the smirk of a man who'd just been told he was too handsome to leave alone. He toed off his shoes, dropped his pants and started his shower. John picked up Steve's cell phone and pressed speed dial number 2 – had to be careful to not call the governor on speed dial number 1.

"Steve? You ok?"

"Sorry, Danny, not Steve. He's in the shower. It's John. Just wanted to let you know that I thought what you did tonight was wonderful. And I'm not supposed to tell you that. You're a good friend. I wish I had a friend like you." Silence. "Hello? Danny? You there."

"Yeah, I'm here. I'm just thinking about what you just said. I was afraid I'd come on too strong and overstepped by bounds, but then I've never been good at boundaries."

The two men talked. Steve finished his shower and came into the bedroom toweling dry. He found John laying on the bed talking on the phone. He dropped the towel and laid down next to John. "Who?" he asked quietly.

"Danny."

"Son of a …"

"I called him."

"Danny. Steve's finished with his shower and he's laying sprawled out on my bed, completely naked. I like talking to you man, but you've got overwhelming competition at the moment. Sleep well, man. See you in the morning. You coming over for breakfast? Thought so. See you then."

Steve shouted, "Well talk about this tomorrow," as John started to disconnect, hoping that Danny heard him. He was sure that he did.

Leaning up on his elbows, Steve looked at John and said, "Just what is this developing relationship you have with my stalker partner?"

"I like him."

"I thought I was here for you to like."

"Oh, I like you," John said as he leaned in and gave Steve a quick kiss and a grope. "Now it's my turn in the shower." While the man was showering, Steve pulled back the covers and crawled into the comfortable bed. He told himself he was just going to close his eyes for a minute; within 60 seconds he was sound asleep. When John returned to the bedroom he was pleased to see Steve sleeping soundly. As quietly as possible he crawled into the other side of the king size bed, turned off his light, and was himself asleep in short order.

The next morning John awoke lying on his side with Steve cuddled up tightly behind him. Steve was apparently already awake; his hand was gently stroking across John's belly.

"Morning," John said. "This feels nice."

"I agree."

Noticing that Steve had a very definite erection and that it was pushing into intimate places of his anatomy, he asked, "Is that an Uzzi you've got shoved between my legs?"

"Not an Uzzi, but it is loaded and ready to fire."

"Nice of you to wait until I woke up before opening fire."

"Glad to," Steve said as he leaned over and gave John a quick kiss.

John held up his hand and said, "Great idea, but bathroom first – must pee."

Steve chuckled. "Fair enough."

John hopped out of bed but was back within two minutes.

"Better?"

"Yes. Peed and brushed my teeth. No more morning breath." John lay facing Steve and wrapped his arms around the man, kissing him passionately.

"I see that the rest of you is awake now, too," Steve said as he felt John's erection pushing up against his belly.

"Waking up with you naked in bed would get any red-blooded American male excited."

"Well, not every man."

"They don't know what they're missing."

The two men finally consummated their relationship, which wasn't difficult since both were exceptionally turned on by the other and therefore had relatively short fuses. Their matching heights made mutually blow jobs – otherwise known as 69 – a perfect fit.

Post-orgasm, they were lying side by side when Steve's cell phone rang. Since John had used it last it was lying on his side of the bed. Reaching over he quickly saw Danny's name appear in the Caller ID screen.

"Let me guess," Steve said.

John flipped the phone open and said, "Good morning, Sunshine."

"I hate you," John heard Danny say.

"I highly doubt that."

"You don't know me."

"I've got you all figured out."

"We'll talk about that later. Am I interrupting anything?"

"Only afterglow."

"I sooooo do not want to hear about it."

"Then why do you keep calling?" Steve asked (he had been listening in on the conversation).

"Morning, Smooth Dog."

"Bite me, bitch."

"Steven! Is that any way to talk to your faithful, loyal, long-suffering partner?"

"Danny," John asked, "are you feeling underappreciated?"

"Constantly! Finally! Someone who understands me."

"So, does that mean you'll extend my visitor's visa and let me stay a few extra days?"

"The jury is still out on that, but I'll take it under advisement."

"You asked about breakfast. Give us 20 minutes to shower and get dressed and we can be downstairs. I assume you're not far away."

"I'm still home, but I live only a few minutes away."

"We'll see you downstairs in 20 minutes," John said before disconnecting the call.

Steve stared at him and said very matter-of-factly, "You two have bonded. This doesn't happen very often – Danny doesn't like people. In fact, I don't think I've ever seen this happen."

"I'm special," John answered with a smile. Steve returned the smile and wanted to add a kiss but John had jumped out of bed and raced into the bathroom to shower. When he finished a few moments later he shouted, "Showers all yours. Move it, sailor. Don't want to keep Danno waiting. The man doesn't strike me as overflowing with patience."

As he stepped into the shower, Steve agreed. "No, patience is not one of his strong suits." He watched John brush his teeth and rub something unidentified into his hair. The man seemed to spend a particular amount of time working to get his hair to stand up in just a particular way. Steve was amused, having assumed that the hair stood the way it did naturally. He should have known hair product was involved!

Toweling off, Steve grabbed his underwear and cargo pants but couldn't find his shirt. "You seen my shirt?"

"I sent it down for washing. Here. This is the Annapolis shirt you loaned me yesterday. I had it washed yesterday so I could return it to you. Steve took the shirt, feeling a mixture of both pleasure and disappointment. Pleasure that John had thought enough of him to care for and then return his shirt. Disappointment because he liked the idea of John wearing his shirt; it somehow made him feel closer to the man, in contact with the man. He took the offered shirt and pulled it over his head.

 

 **Breakfast**

Exactly 20 minutes later they walked into the restaurant in the lobby of the hotel and found Danno already there.

"Danno. Fancy meeting you here," Steve said simply.

"So?" he said with a big smile on his face. "Did you get a little?"

"Oh, dear God!" Steve said as he tried to hide his head in embarrassment.

John felt no such embarrassment, so he played along with Danno's game. As they all sat together, John earnestly described their encounter. "Well, let me tell you, asking 'did you get a little' is not exactly the proper phrase when you're talking about Steve. The man is hung like a fucking mule!" he said spreading his hands apart to indicate a large size.

"And let me tell you, he has passion, raw sexuality, energy just brimming over. It was like bringing in a wild oil well and watching it blow. Awesome! The things he does with his lips would just curl your toes. He just oozes sexuality and sensuality."

Danny sat silently, eyes wide, staring ahead, not at all sure how to handle this conversation.

Steve jumped in, "Happy? I'm sure he can tell you more, if you like. Give you a ‘blow-by-blow’ description, so to speak." Steve started angry, but as he spoke he saw Danny start to squirm in discomfort; his anger was displaced by a bit of satisfaction.

Danny shook his head. "No. Thank you. I hope to sleep again before I die. If I have the image of the two of you blowing each other and fucking like rabid tree squirrels in my head I don't think I'll ever be able to sleep again. Nightmares."

"Not nightmares, Danno. Fantasies! Hot fantasies! This man is smoldering hot. He is sultry. Passionate. He has a dick of death. He has absolutely no gag reflex and could take …"

"Ok! You've had your fun. Enough."

"… me to the root. And I'm not exactly a small boy myself."

Danny whimpered.

"Did you have the room bugged and wired with cameras so you could watch?" Steve asked.

"What? No!"

"Steve kept expecting you to pop up holding a sign to score his moves, like they do in Olympic events.

"My magic markers were in the shop. And I wouldn't even know how to score sex between two guys."

"Simple," John explained, "you just look to see how much his toes curl and how many cute faces he makes. It's just like straight sex – at least so I've been told. I've never personally gone into foreign territory myself so I'm working off what others have told me."

"You've never had sex with a woman?" Danny asked interestedly.

"Nope. Never. And want to keep it that way."

"But I bet you've had offers, though, right? I mean, you are an attractive guy."

"Danno. Are you checking out my friend?"

"I'm just saying, if you wanted to sleep with the guy, then in your assessment he must be attractive and I'm trusting your judgment – not making any personal statement."

"Good save, Danno!" John said.

"Thank you."

"Ok. Enough about that," John said. "So, Danno, you gonna be ok with me fuckin' your boss?"

"I thought you said 'enough' and were moving on to better topics of conversation."

"This is a better topic of conversation. First I blew him and next I hope to fuck him. You ok with that?"

"Hey!" Steve complained. "But my work partner does not get veto power over my sex partners, what I choose to do with those partners … or anything else for that matter!"

"Ok, guys, I need serious coffee and sugar. Let's eat. And hopefully that will distract you for a few minutes."

Danny ordered the pancakes with extra butter and extra maple syrup, but only after reiterating with the waitress that there should be nothing like macadamia nuts or anything else in his pancakes – only pancakes. No pineapple, no coconut, no fruit of any kind – just pancakes. Oh, and bacon. Crispy fried bacon. His closing admonition to the waitress was, "And don't forget the syrup. Lots of syrup."

She left, amused by her short blond customer and his two gorgeous friends.

"He's a purist," Steve explained.

"I had figured that out."

"And he's also a heart attack waiting to happen with his diet. With all the fat and sugar he puts into his system on a daily basis I can hear his arteries hardening from over here."

"Hey!" he complained, "no one asked for your opinion, Dr. Steve!"

"Just being concerned about my friend's health is all, Danno."

John chuckled, which made both of his tablemates look up and ask simultaneously, "What?"

"You two, that's what. You two are perfect together."

"Never before in the history of time have there been two people so different than we are," Danny explained. "How the hell do you get 'perfect together'? You spend too much time in the sun yesterday? Did Steve bang your head against the headboard of the bed one too many times last night? Did he maybe suck your brain loose while he was blowing you last night?"

John just smiled and said, "I stand by my assessment."

"You both bring a lot of strength to the partnership but they are complimentary strengths. There is little overlap in abilities, but that only serves to strengthen the partnership."

Danny stared at the man, turned to Steve and said, "Steve, don't close your eyes around this guy. There's something wrong with him and I don't know what he might do."

John just laughed. "I love you guys! You're both great."

Feeling a bit slighted, Steve jumped in and said, "But I made your toes curl! Don't forget that."

John leaned over and gave Steve a quick kiss and an intense smile, adding, "I will never forget how you made my toes curl in ecstasy my friend." He closed his eyes and went in for another kiss, this one more intense, each feeling drawn in by the openness and pure sexuality the other brought.

Danny looked around nervously – not afraid that someone would see, no, that wasn't his issue – he simply didn't want to watch because deep down inside in a closed off place where no one ever was allowed, Danny found the two men kissing to be hot, hotter than hot. And he didn't know what to do with that knowledge or the ensuing erection that it was producing. He had had enough shocks in the last 12 hours. At the moment he just needed to look somewhere else and come back to his body's reaction some other time when he was alone and had time to think through what the hell was happening.

When his two tablemates didn't stop at a kiss but went on to wrap their hands around the back of one another's necks, Danny decided enough was enough. "Excuse me, Romeo and Romeo …"

Good fortune shined on Danny Williams because it was just at that moment when their waitress brought out their breakfast. With hot plates of great smelling food, John and Steve's attention was re-directed to another base human need – food.

"They get your pancakes right, Danno?"

"So far so good," he answered as he carefully lifted each and examined it to ensure that no errant nut or pile of poi had wound up as an unwanted part of his breakfast. Declaring it pure, he spread mounds of butter on the pancakes allowing it to melt. This was followed by huge helpings of maple syrup. When the waitress made the mistake of bringing out a pitcher of a pineapple based syrup he sent it away with a scolding.

John and Steve ate their own food, which was healthier and featured less (no) fat and significantly less sugar and carbohydrates. Fascinated, John asked, "So, Danny, I have to ask. You're a pretty trim looking guy. Nice tight little body, a little on the short side" which got the expected rouse out of Williams, "but you don't seem to let that flaw get in the way too much. So how is it that you don't weigh like 300 pounds? I hear your diet is not always high in nutritional value.

Thrusting his chin into the air as one taking exception to something, Danny said, "I've always weighed the same. I can eat anything and it never changes. That plus I spend a lot of my time chasing after John McClain here, and let me tell you, when you do that you work up quite a sweat. Then there's the whole diving for cover to avoid flying bullets thing. And I work out every night at a local gym."

John put down his fork, looked at Danny, and said, "John McClain?"

"Yeah, you know, the guy in those Die Hard movies who's always taking on herds of terrorists and bad guys? John McClain. He's a cop. He kicks butt."

"And you think Steve is like John McClain?"

"Hell, yes!" Danny answered. "Our boy here takes tons of unnecessary risks. He refuses to wait for back, dives into every situation, regardless of the risk, with guys blazing. And I'm left running after him trying to keep him alive while he plays hero."

Steve disagreed. "I don't play hero, Danno. I see a problem and I set out to fix it."

John played Devil's Advocate. "You don't think he should do those things?"

"His intentions are good," Danny conceded, "but he scares the life out of me at least once each day. My life has flashed in front of my eyes so many times since I met him that I know the story by heart. My biggest problem is convincing him to wait the five minutes it might take for backup to arrive."

"You are my backup, Danno," Steve said simply.

"And there is a big part of the problem!" Danny explained energetically with hands in the air and a look of major frustration on his face. "I can't back you up if I don't know what you're gonna do, and I also haven't had the same ninja training you've had so I'm not up to some of the crap that comes flying our way."

John had a suggestion: "Steve, could you give Danno some training? Teach him some rudimentary skills, show him how you might respond in certain situations, things like that?"

Steve considered the idea quietly before nodding his head. "I don't see why not."

"I do!" Danno complained. "I'm a cop, not a soldier. I'm from New Jersey. I learned street fighting, not battle-field fighting. I'm also not as young as I used to be."

"And it scares you a little," John added as a suggestion/question.

"Maybe a little," he conceded.

"Perfectly natural, normal reaction. I'd be concerned if you didn't have that reaction."

"Thank you," Danny said. Looking up suddenly, Danny added, "Hey! Why does this suddenly resemble marriage counseling?"

Steve furrowed his brow at that point, noting, "It does seem remarkably like a psychological intervention of some sort. What's this all about?"

"Nothing," John answered.

Neither man fully believed him. After a moment of quiet eating, Danny asked a question that had not come up before. "So, John, what brings you to our little corner of hell?"

"I'm trying to unwind and sort out my life."

"Sort out your life? Do tell more, please. You are about the right age for a mid-life crisis. Did you leave some woman – or man, sorry – after going through couple's counseling because you couldn't keep it zipped up, were feeling your age, and wanted to make sure you still had some wild oats left to soe?"

John looked startled. "Wow. Never had any of those questions before. Let's see. Mid-life crisis – haven't had time for one. Leaving someone – nope, haven't had time for a relationship in more years than I can count. Wild oats – don't I wish." He stopped at that point and went to take a bite of his breakfast.

"No! No! No! No you don't! You don't stop there! I want to the truth. I want to the full story. Start talking Mister!"

John looked at Steve and said, "Is he always like this or is this just a sugar rush hitting his blood stream?"

"He's always like this."

"Always?"

"Always."

"Wow."

"Enough of the back and forth hoping Danny will forget or get annoyed!"

"It sounds to me like Danny is annoyed. Doesn't it sound that way to you, Steve?" John asked.

"Yes, it does, but then he always sounds that way so it sort of becomes background noise after awhile for me."

Ignoring the banter the two men were exchanging, Danny looked at John and said, "I'm waiting – and I never forget. Talk. What makes John tick? And why is he needing to sort out his life?"

John set his fork down, sighed slightly, and looked at Danny. "I suddenly seem to have options that I never had before. I also no longer have the structure – and rigidity sometimes – that I had before as well. I basically need to decide what I want to do with the rest of my life."

"Why?" Danny asked.

"Why?" John repeated.

"Why?" Danny repeated. "Why do you now have time? Why do you need to decide now? Why?"

"For the last twenty years I've served in the Air Force. Many of the last ten years have been spent in … dicey situations, shall we say. I was good at what I did. I loved what I did. But not everyone in the chain of command loved what I did. So I find myself suddenly retired … and I don't know what to do with myself. I've never had to think about what I was going to do with all the time in the world. I've never had to think about where to eat, when to work, where to go. I've followed orders. But now suddenly everything is different."

"Ok," Danny said.

"Ok? Actually, no, none of it is 'ok'." John responded with a bit more bitterness than he intended. "Sorry."

"No problem. You, my friend, have found yourself exactly where you need to be."

"I have?"

"He has?"

"Yes, he has," Danny answered both men at the same time.

"Danny, you hate Hawaii so why do you now suddenly think it's the perfect the place?"

"I didn't say it was the perfect place. I did say that John has found himself exactly where he needs to be." Danny paused with a look of delight. "Why you may ask."

"Yes, I'm asking," Steve said.

"Because of you."

"Because of me?"

"Yes, because of you. You see, John, Steve went through some of the same soul searching and angst. In fact, he still is to some degree."

"I am?"

"You are."

"I'm sorry, Danny, you're gonna have to explain," John said.

"Steve spent a lot of years of his life in the Navy. He, too, found himself suddenly as a fish out of water."

"A fish out of water?"

"Yes, stop interrupting me. Steve didn't anticipate his life changing course so suddenly or rapidly, but it did. One day he was doing his secret, spy, Ninja, assassin, blow-things-up super SEAL stuff. And then suddenly like a rubber band being stretched, he was snapped back to his former life and away from everything he had known for years and years and years."

Life Danny had done many times, Steve held up one finger and said, "Ok. First, you don't know what I did."

"Tell me."

"I can't."

"So I have to take poetic license and fill in the blanks the best I can. And you can't deny that you like to blow things up."

"Who doesn't?"

John jumped back in the conversation, "He has a point. Blowing up stuff has saved my ass more times than I can count."

"And a mighty fine ass it is, too," Steve said with a smile.

"Thank you, sailor."

"No problem, fly boy."

"Oh, good Lord. Are you two gonna start humping at the table or something else thoroughly embarrassing for me?"

"That would embarrass you?" Steve asked.

Catching on to Steve's line of thinking immediately, he said, "No. You know what I mean."

"Yes, I know. I see a chink in Superman's super powers. And like you I don't forget. Remember that."

"With you, big guy, I never forget. Now back to the original point, if you don't mind," Danny tried.

"And what was the original point?" John said, honestly having lost track of where they were in the conversation.

"I was trying to explain that you and Steve has very similar situations and that … I can't believe I have to explain this to you in this much detail – how did you two ever manage to figure out how to have sex with one another without me there to tell you how it's done? Anyway, Steve went through the same soul searching, life change, and it's possible he can help you through your search."

Steve looked at Danny, then at John, then back to Danny, back to John, and then back to Danny. "True."

Danny stood, "You two are so perfectly matched it's disgusting. Excuse me, I'll be right back."

"Where you going?"

"Bathroom, do you mind?"

"No," Steve said, "go ahead."

"Thank you!"

Alone at the table for a moment, John said, "So you went through something like this, too?"

"Yeah, I did."

"What happened to you, if I can ask?"

"Someone assassinated my dad – and made me listen to it over the telephone. I came back to hunt down the bastard that did it and put him away."

John studied Steve's face for a minute, and then said simply, "Good."

"And you?" Steve asked.

"I quite honestly don't have all the background information. But it doesn't change the fact that I'm now sort of at loose ends and don't know what I want to do today, let alone tomorrow, next week, next year. At least you had something new to throw yourself into with 5-0."

"True." Steve thought for a minute. "And you have me."

John stared at Steve before speaking one word very softly. "Really?"

Steve stared back at John. "Really." Steve reached across the table and took John's hand, entwining their fingers. "Really."

Danny returned to the table and observed the two men sitting silently. At first he thought something was wrong, but then he saw the two men's hands linked together.

"Everything ok?" he asked.

A hint of a smile appeared on Steve's face followed by a hint of a smile on John's face. "Steve, what are you doing today?" John asked.

"You."

The smile on John's face broadened. "Good."

"John, have you ever been surfing?" Steve asked.

"Oh!" John said, with a huge look of excitement on his face. "I love surfing. I tried to get the natives to try it at my last posting but they just didn't get it."

"Want to go surfing?" Steve asked. "I know some incredible places to surf here on Oahu."

"You sweet talkin' man!" John said. "I'm yours."

"Good."

"Danno, let's go surfing," John said.

"Danno doesn't like the water," Steve said very matter-of-factly.

"You're kidding," John said. "Who doesn't like the water?"

"Danno."

"Well, that would make living in Hawaii somewhat less appealing."

"Ya' think?" Danno said enthusiastically. "And besides, today's a workday."

"Danno. I'm taking the day off."

"You have never taken a day off, Steve."

"Which is why I've accumulated a lot of leave time. I'm taking the day. You, Chin and Kono keep things going. You can call me if you need me, but I probably won't have my phone when I'm out on the water."

"Or in bed with me afterwards," John added.

"What he said," Steve agreed.

"Come on," Steve said, "I'll drive."

"John, it's been good knowing you."

"What's wrong Danno?"

"Riding with Steve is a life-threatening experience. The man drives like a maniac."

"Cool. Faster is better."

"Oh, I don't believe this," Danno complained.

"I was a pilot, Danno. I like things that go fast."

"I repeat what I said earlier: you two are a match made in heaven. But don't say I didn't warn you – he's a crazy driver."

"Danno! I'm a great driver."

"Steven, HPD won't let you take out cars anymore because you've destroyed so many of them. Why do you think I always have to go get the cars?"

"Because they like you better," Steve said.

"And why do you suppose that is?" Danno asked.

"I have no idea, Danno. You should be happy – somebody likes you. We've got to go."

Holding hands, the two men left the restaurant. Only after they had left the room did Danny realize that they had left without paying the check. "Thanks, guys!" he shouted after the two men. "Wasn't it enough that I bought your dinner last night?"

 

 **Surfing**

Since Danny had driven Steve to the hotel the previous evening, they had to walk back to the Palace to pick up Steve's truck. From there they swung by Steve's house to pick up a couple of surf boards and pack a few provisions before hitting the road headed out to the north shore where the waves were the most awesome. Steve of course verified first that John knew what he was doing on a surf board. While the waves on the north shore were awesome, they were also dangerous, even for an experienced surfer. Still, Steve's reading of John was that while the man liked to go fast, he didn't take unnecessary risk. He knew he could be wrong, and if he was, he'd find out in short order.

Steve's read of John proved true, though. The man was good on a surf board. He had clearly put in some serious time on a board before and knew how to work with the waves for the best ride possible. He was not flawless, but then Steve knew that very few people were.

Regardless of skill, both men had a great time. They whooped, they hollered, they yelled, they peed in the ocean, and for a time left the world and its problems behind. After a few hours they agreed that it was time to call it a day – at least in terms of surfing.

Driving them back toward his house, they stopped at a little market John would never have found. Walking inside, the first thing John noticed was the smell of pineapple.

"Is this …?"

Steve nodded and smiled. "Yes."

"I feel like I should fall to my knees and give thanks."

An old man greeted Steve, although John wasn't really sure what he said. Steve clearly knew the man, calling him Mr. Fong. They picked up a few things, including another of the freshest pineapples known to man, and then headed to Steve's house.

Both men were ravenously hungry so Steve threw together a couple of sandwiches which they took out onto the lanai. They wolfed down the sandwiches in record time, having worked up a huge appetite by their physical exertion out on the ocean waves.

Disappearing for a minute, Steve returned with two ice cold beers, handing one to John. "A little early in the day for beer isn't it?"

"You got somewhere to be?"

Not able to argue the point, John took the beer and savored the rich taste of the cold beer. "Um, good! I don't know this one," John said, studying the label.

"Local. Great stuff."

John gave Steve an assessing look, finally pronouncing his verdict. "Great beer, phenomenal coffee, the world's best pineapple. I'm never leaving."

Steve smiled, raising his beer bottle in acknowledgement.

The two men sat quietly on the lanai, enjoying the dappled sunlight that trickled down to them. They both found themselves simply watching the ocean.

"You've got an incredible view, Steve."

"It is great. This house is where I grew up. I seriously considered selling it after what happened here, but I kept it – and I'm glad I did. I couldn't afford to buy a place in Hawaii today with a view like this one."

"This is where it happened?" John asked.

"This is where it happened. Living room." Steve was quiet for a minute. "But that's past. This is also where I met Danno."

"You're kidding."

"Nope. In the garage. I was here looking at the crime scene and he was the detective in charge. He took exception to my violating his crime scene. We pulled guns on each other. The governor settled the issue."

"I look forward to hearing the story sometime."

"Deal," Steve agreed.

Their beers finished, along with their sandwiches, Steve retrieved two more beers. After a couple more along with over an hour of conversation, both were both surprised to see that the sun was gone and night was already setting in. "When the hell did that happen?" John asked.

"Don't know. Missed it."

"Steve, can I use your shower?"

"Of course. You know where it is from this morning."

"Got to rinse some salt water off my skin."

"Go for it."

John disappeared into the house while Steve remained on the lanai staring off at the water. Having spent much of his life on the water or around the water, he found the ocean comforting – not to mention totally captivating. Therefore, he was quite surprised when what seemed like a moment later, but was really 15 minutes later, he saw John appear in the doorway, totally naked. "Hey, sailor, want to do a little … actually, I don't know how to finish that sentence. What is it that sailors do?"

"You, for one."

"Ok. Hey sailor, want to do a little me?"

Steve leapt from his chair and gave the man a kiss.

"Excuse me, but I've showered. You still feel like salt. Go shower."

"Meet me in the bedroom in 3 minutes?"

"Deal."

While Steve disappeared into the house, John closed and locked the sliding door before making his way to the bedroom. He arrayed himself in what he hoped was a provocative pose on the bed. Despite having what many considered stunning good looks, John never had really seen himself as attractive. He saw all of the flaws and tended to focus on those things exclusively.

Where others saw a trim physique, John saw skinniness. Where others saw cute little elfin-like ears, John saw cause for embarrassment. Where others saw strong hands, he saw hands roughened over time by too much hard work.

A moment later his attempts at provocative poses were interrupted by Steve's return. Much to John's surprise, though, Steve stopped a few steps into the bedroom and stared.

"What?" John asked, concerned he had committed some terrible mistake unintentionally. He quickly checked his body to see if he'd accidentally missed the fact that he'd grown an extra arm or something equally grotesque. He didn't find anything out of order so he asked Steve again with growing concern, "Steve? What's wrong? What did I do?"

"My God you are gorgeous."

John arched his eyebrow in disbelief. "Me?!" he asked incredulously.

"Do you see any other men around here?"

"No. But I'm not 'gorgeous' by any stretch of the imagination."

Joining him on the bed, Steve brought his face to within inches of John's face and tried again. Pushing the man back onto the bed, Steve crawled on top of John and brought their faces to within inches once again. Looking into John's eyes he said, "Handsome." And he kissed the man.

Pulling back ever so slightly, Steve said, "Stunning." And another kiss.

More intense eye contact. "Sultry." Another kiss.

"Hot." And another kiss.

"I think you've been in the sun too long," John tried. "Either that or you need to have your eyes examined. Which could actually account for all the wrecked cars Danno was talking about."

Steve kissed him again. "Less talking, more kissing."

"Ok."

They wrapped their arms around one another. They explored one another's body's, they found the good spots that made the other's eyes roll back in their heads. They licked. They sucked. They caressed. They rested. They fucked like rabid animals.

First Steve was on top. Then they rolled around. First one laid back and let the other have his way. Then they reversed roles. Since it was their first time for such intimacy their lovemaking went on for some time. They knew that later – if they were to have a later – that things would move more quickly. But it wasn't later, it was now, and now was good.

Without conversation they both relaxed and fell asleep. The next morning they awoke tangled in one another's arms. Steve would have liked to spend another day with John doing fun stuff but decided that he really shouldn't miss work two days in a row.

"Can we meet for lunch?" Steve asked as he drove them toward the Palace.

"I would like that very much," John said, smiling with delight.

"It's a date," Steve said, hoping he didn't sound like a love-sick teenager. "I hope that doesn't interfere with any plans you might have."

"Don't have any plans. Don't know what I want to do with my life – remember?"

"Not to worry. Today's Friday. We'll have lunch, I'll work a little, then we'll have the weekend together to do something fun – or serious – or frivolous. Anything you want."

"How could a guy refuse an offer like that?" John said with a smile.

Their timing was such that just as Steve parked his truck Danny pulled in right next to them.

"Hey, Danno!" John said enthusiastically, greeting his boyfriend's partner.

"Oh, great. Now there are two grown men who insist on calling me that!"

"What?" John asked. "It's a nice name. It captures your spirit beautifully. I like it."

"Of course you do. You've been hanging out with a bad influence," he said, gesturing toward Steve.

"So," Danny asked conversationally, "how you doing this morning?"

"I'm great!" John said. "Danno!" he said enthusiastically, putting his arm around Danny's shoulder. "We had the most amazing, blow your socks off sex last night! This guy is hot!"

Throwing his hands in the air, Danny closed his eyes and yelled, "Ohhh! Nooo! I did not need to hear that!"

"I said we had incredible sex last night," John said a little bit louder.

"I said I didn't need to hear that!" Danny complained.

"Oh, I thought you said you didn't hear what I said when I said we had phenomenal sex last night."

Pointing at John, Danny said, "You are an evil, evil man."

"But you love me, don't you?" John asked impishly.

"Don't push it," Danny warned.

"Steve did a lot of pushing last night. Pushing, pulling, thrusting, thumping, humping, pumping, …"

"There are some things a man should not have to picture," Danny explained slowly. "Steve having sex with you is one of them."

"Why? He's hot! He's the hottest guy I've ever been with."

"I am?" Steve asked, surprised.

"He is?" Danny echoed.

"Yes, you are," John said to Steve with a look that he hoped conveyed his absolute sincerity.

"You're pretty amazing yourself, Mister," Steve said in response.

"Hey, that's Colonel," John said, moving a little closer to the man.

"Colonel," Steve said, corrected.

"Very good, Commander."

"Oh, sweet Jesus!" Danny complained. "It's like I'm living in a bad gay porn flick from the '80's."

Their conversation was interrupted when Danny's cell phone rang. Noticing his ex-wife's name appear in the Caller ID he answered. "Rachel? Thank God it's you! What? No! I'm not mocking you! You wouldn't believe what Steve is making me watch. What? Steve is dating this guy, … Yes, a guy. NO, I'm not making that up!" Standing up straight, Danny said indignantly, "What do you mean you think he's attractive? What are you doing checking out my partner's ass?"

John grabbed the phone from Danny and before Danny could react, said, "Rachel? Hi, my name is John. I'm the guy Steve is seeing. I just wanted to say that I couldn't agree with you more. He is hot!" Lowering his voice to a conspiratorial whisper he said, "I'm glad I'm not the only one who appreciates his ass. And a fine one it is, let me tell you."

Danny and Steve both stared, mouths hanging open in shock and disbelief while John walked having an animated conversation with Danny's ex-wife about Steve's physical attributes. Interrupting the conversation with Rachel, John asked, "Steve? You mind if Rachel joins us for lunch today?"

"No! No! No! No! No!" Danny shouted. "No! No! No!" Danny Williams waved his hands, his hands, his whole upper body. "No!"

"Sorry, Rachel, I couldn't hear. Your ex-husband is having some sort of tantrum or spasm, I'm not quite sure which. I know, but he's cute when he does it."

"Steven! Make it stop! Make it stop now!" Danny walked a couple of paces back and forth. "You are dating the craziest man alive. And until now I had reserved that title for you. You've attracted the craziest man alive to the second craziest man alive. And neither of you will rest until you've dragged me down, too. Your boyfriend is talking on my cell phone to my ex-wife making plans for lunch. This cannot be allowed to happen. This is bad, Steven. This is bad. This is very bad. Make it stop! In the name of all that is holy, make it stop," he begged.

Danny walked into the Palace, headed toward their offices leaving John talking on his cell phone. Steve looked back and forth between the retreating form of his partner and the animated conversation his boyfriend was having with his partner's ex-wife. You couldn't write stuff that good.

John waved at Steve and said, "I'll be in in a minute, once we finish talking."

Not sure what else to do, Steve turned and walked into the building. When he entered their office he found Chin and Kono both staring at Danny who simply sat in a chair. Complimenting the picture, Steve sat opposite Danny and did the same thing. Neither man knew what to say. Neither man looked up. They simply sat in silence looking at … nothing.

"Boss?" Chin asked, concerned. "Is Danny having a stroke?"

"Could well be. Me, too, I think."

"What's wrong?" he asked.

"My boyfriend is making a date with Danny's ex-wife."

Kono's interest was aroused by that statement. "You're kidding."

"Could I make up something like that?" Steve asked.

"No," she answered seriously. "When and where?"

"Don't know. Why?"

"I want to watch!"

Steve was about to imitate one of Danny's rants when John strolled into the office and tossed Danny's cell phone back to the man. "Ok, it's all set. We're meeting Rachel at 1:00." Recognizing the place when John identified it, Kono immediately excused herself to call and make a reservation for the adjoining table so she could watch the event. As soon as she was finished she returned to the common work and whispered hew news to Chin.

"You book it for two?" he asked.

"Of course!"

They were about to high five one another when Danny interrupted everyone by shouting over and over and over again, "Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!" He held his hands over his face and simply kept repeating, "Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!" He was yelling so loud that he missed the sound of footsteps and was therefore shocked when he heard the Governor say, "Detective Williams. Is there a problem?"

Danny immediately stopped talking and simply stared at the woman. "Governor."

"Yes?"

When Danny didn't speak again, John stepped forward and said, "I take it that you're the Governor. Nice to meet you. I'd like to compliment you on the fine islands you have here and the excellent members of your Task Force."

Always the politician, she immediately moved into political mode and took the man's offered hand. John identified himself, to which she responded, "A pleasure to meet you, Colonel."

"How do you know of these fine folks?"

Both Steve and Danny simultaneously waved their hands and said, "No!"

"Gentlemen!" she scolded. "Is something wrong with you?"

"They do that occasionally, I've noticed. I met the Commander yesterday when he came to my rescue on the beach. I am forever in his debt for his quick thinking and generous assistance. Without him I might still be out there flopping on the beach."

"They are the best."

"Yes, I have to agree," he said both conversationally and sincerely.

"So, Colonel, when did you start having sex with the Commander?"

Danny spoke up and said, "Everything is getting cloudy. This must be what a stroke feels like."

"Stop playing the drama queen, detective," the Governor ordered.

"Drama queen? Me?" he asked in disbelief. "I'm in the Twilight Zone. There can't be any other explanation."

"So, Colonel, answer my question," the governor said, returning her attention to the attractive man.

John did not appear phased whatsoever by the question, the situation, or Danny's seeming to wilt in front of them. "Well, ma'am, I want you to know that he was a perfect gentleman. We waited three hours."

"Well, hell, I would have expected something faster. It's not like you were waiting an hour before going swimming after eating!"

"I'll see what I can do about speeding things up in the future."

"You only get one first time, Colonel."

"That's why you have to do something a little different each time, so that every time is another first time."

"Very good, Colonel," with delight at this reasoning.

"I do try, ma'am," he said proudly.

"Steve, he's a keeper." Turning to McGarrett she asked, "You are planning to keep him, aren't you?"

"At least through lunch, Governor."

"Got plans for dinner, Steve?" John asked.

"Yes, I'm planning to spend the evening with this really hot guy I met on the beach. His name is John and he's incredible."

The two men smiled at one another and had they not been in a crowded room would have been in one another's arms. Their moment was interrupted by the Governor asking, "So tell me about this lunch."

"Oh, Dear Lord!" Danny said, covering his face with his hands. "Just when I thought it couldn't get any worse," he said, shaking his head back and forth.

"I'm having lunch with Rachel – she wants to check me out. Also, she thinks Steve has a hot butt."

"He does."

Danny had never seen it, but he was sure that Steve actually blushed. "Glad you agree, Governor."

"And Kono is probably going to be at the next table over trying to listen in."

Everyone turned their attention to Kono. "Yes, of course I will be. Duh!"

The Governor issued a decree. "Ok. Mind if Kono and I join you and Rachel for lunch?"

"No problem. I'll call and tell them we're four people now."

"If they give you any trouble you call this number" (she handed him a business card) "and my assistant will take care of it for you."

"Excellent," John said with delight.

"Gotta go. Can't wait for lunch. See you Officer, Colonel."

And just as suddenly as the Governor had arrived she was gone.

"I like her," John said.

"You like everybody," Danny said glumly, "which is part of the problem."

"I have always tried to be cordial, welcoming, outgoing – a gentleman."

"I am begging you – please – please don't talk about anything too sensitive with my ex-wife today. Please. This is the woman who takes me to court periodically to try to revoke our custody agreement."

"I very much have that in mind, Danno." Putting his hands on Danny's shoulders and looking into his eyes, John said, "I understand. And I would never, ever do anything to harm that. Believe me. If I am able to strengthen it a bit I would not be upset. You're a good person Danno. You're important to Steve. And therefore you're important to me."

The man's words succeeded in conveying his sincerity. Danny simply nodded, looked his square in the eye, and said, "Thank you."

"You're a good man, Danno," John said, squeezing his shoulder in a reassuring move.

"Thank you."

"What? No return compliments? No, 'John, you are a prince among men'? 'John, you have the perception abilities of Superman'? Nothing like that?"

"You're better with words than I am," Danny answered.

"Oh, Danno, you sweet talkin' Devil you!" John said, smiling one of his dazzling smiles.

Danny smiled at John and said, "You are something else, you know that?"

"Steve has been trying to persuade me of that, but I personally don't believe him."

"Well, for once Steve got something right," Danny conceded.

John gave Danny a quick hug, whispered, "Thank you," into his ear before pulling away.

"Well," John said, "I've got to go buy some new clothes to wear. It's not every day I get to be in the company of such lovely women so I need to be presentable." John gave Steve a longer hug, followed by a kiss, and whispered something to him that no one else could hear. Whatever it was it brought a huge smile to Steve's face.

With a smile and a wave he was out the door and off on the quest for Governor-worthy lunch clothes.

"Oh, I love that man!" Kono said with a huge smile on her face.

"Give it a little while," Danny complained, "you'll get over it."

"No I won't. I don't have an ex-wife for him to go to lunch with like you do."

"Oh, you are getting too good at this, Kono," Danny said with a smile.

"I have a good teacher now."

"Kono, no!" Danny complained. "That man is a bad influence. Do not spend much time with him or it could rub off on you and drag you down."

"I'm counting on it!" she said in reply.

Danny threw up his hands in mock disgust and walked away, giving Kono a good laugh. She was excited about the unexpected outing.

 

 **Lunch**

The man who walked into the restaurant at 1:00 looked good. In fact, he looked downright stunning. John had purchased a white linen jacket and pants and matched them with a white shirt. Combined with his dark complexion, his jet black hair, his height and his ever-present aviator sun glasses and you had one kick-ass first impression. As he walked confidently down the street toward the restaurant heads had turned everywhere to check him out – male and female alike.

Timing was such that John and the Governor arrived at just the same moment. In fact, he held the door open for her to enter. Inside they found Kono talking with a woman that John assumed was Rachel. She stood about Danny's height and for some reason seemed like the type of woman he might pick.

Introductions were made and handshakes were exchanged before the foursome moved to a beautiful table overlooking the beach. Between John's masculine good looks and the power-presence of the state's governor their table created a bit of excitement.

If he was nervous John gave absolutely no hint of his feeling. But, he never did. And really, this lunch had been his idea. He did not regard himself as the most social of creatures and had never regarded his social skills as very good. In truth, his social skills were fine, it was just that he didn't like lots of people all in one place at the same time and social gatherings tended to feature a lot of people all in one place at the same time.

But a lunch for four was not large in anyone's book. While they perused the menus the four engaged in the usual menu-study chit chat. "See anything that looks interesting?" "Oh, wow, what a good idea!" "Have you ever had …?"

When it was clear that they had made their selections, their waiter appeared immediately and started taking orders. Each of the four was efficient so in 30 seconds he was away from the table leaving the guests with momentary silence.

John broke the ice by raising his wine glass and saying, "Thank you all for agreeing to join me for lunch on such short notice. It is the rare man that gets the privilege of dining with not one, not two, but three beautiful women all by himself." He projected the same calm confidence he had projected walking down the street earlier.

"Damn, you're good!" the governor commented which elicited a shy smile.

"So, Colonel, what brings you to the islands?" Rachel asked.

Since none of them knew the answer, all eyes were trained on him.

"I recently retired from the Air Force and I … well, quite honestly, I don't know what I want to do now."

"What did you do in the Air Force?"

"Combat flight pilot," he answered without elaboration.

"How did you come to meet Steve?" someone asked.

"I was running on the beach one morning and found myself running parallel with him. At first I just noticed that he was a good-looking man but didn't pay much attention. And then I got the worst muscle cramp in one of my legs. Without any grace or style I fell and flopped around like a fish out of water. Not my finest moment.

"And then the man who had been running beside me came to my rescue. He was my Knight in Shining Armor. Well, actually, no armor, just sweat, but you get the picture. Most people would have ignored me and run the other direction, but Steve basically held my hand and massaged my leg to try to relax the muscles a little. And let me tell you, the man has some of the best hands. Oh! Let me tell you! I could have laid there on the beach and let him rub my body all day long!"

"Who wouldn't?" Rachel asked, suddenly feeling embarrassment when she realized she had said the words aloud. Her embarrassment was quickly erased when the other women at the table murmured their agreement.

The Governor agreed with John's assessment by saying, "It's no wonder. Have you seen the size of his hands?"

Rachel got a coy look on her face but didn't say anything. John noticed, though, and said, "Go ahead. Rachel, what's your question?"

"Well, is there any … um, correlation … between …"

John cut her off sensing that she wasn't going to get the question out before dying of embarrassment. "You mean are his feet as big as his hands?" After a brief pregnant pause he added slyly, "I wouldn't kiss and tell, … but yes they are!"

There were several squeals of delight, which was not what most people would have expected from a luncheon attended by the state's governor. Other patrons in the restaurant looked discretely toward the table to see if they could figure out what was so exciting and delightful to the other diners. But of course John had lowered his voice just enough so that his tablemates could hear his comment but others could not.

Even though John had removed his sunglasses as soon as entering the restaurant, he still exuded masculinity and confidence and sex-appeal. Several of the diners in the popular ocean-side restaurant had kept looking back at him, very taken with his sultry good looks.

Any awkwardness that anyone was feeling had evaporated with John's remarks. Conversation flowed freely from that point onward, interrupted only by the arrival of the entrees which of course generated its own share of conversation as everyone oh'd and ah'd about the presentation of the food – one thing that the restaurant was noted for doing very well.

"If this tastes as good as it looks I'm going to be a very happy man," John said admiringly.

"The food here is fabulous," the governor said confidently. "And besides, Commander McGarrett should be making you a happy man already."

"He is, I assure you," John replied.

After the food was sampled, Kono asked the obvious. "So, John, do you think you might stay here in Hawaii for awhile?"

All eyes were on him expectantly as he considered the question. With a suddenly serious expression on his face he finally nodded his head and said, "Yes, I think I might stay for a little while."

"Good," the governor said.

"Do you think Steve might like to have someone like me around?" It could have been taken as a joking comment except for the very serious expression that remained on his face.

Kono answered first with a big smile on her face, "Without a doubt. You're good for him."

"But is being good for him something he might want? Or is it like medicine that tastes terrible but will ultimately help, something he will resist?"

The governor's turn. "It is what he needs and I believe it is what he wants."

Rachel's turn. "And if he ever acts differently, tell me and I'll go smack him for being too stupid for words!"

"Amen, sister," Kono added, which reduced the table into another collective laugh. John joined in, secretly relieved.

"I've known him such a short time, but I've been thoroughly impressed with him from the start. I don't really know him yet beyond the fact that he's adorably cute, has fantastic hands, and has fabulous taste in coffee, co-workers and friends."

Rachel made perhaps the most prescient observation of the day. "Of everyone here, I probably know Commander McGarrett the least of all. But I do know Danny Williams rather well, and I can assure you that there is none with higher standards and higher thresholds that one must cross to become a friend than his. Steve McGarrett cleared all of those hurdles with the greatest of ease. I'd say that Steve McGarrett is a good man."

"He's extraordinarily giving, loyal beyond belief, and one of the best friends and bosses anyone could ask for," Kono observed.

"I trusted him enough to give him a job with carte blanche to do anything with immunity. And let me tell you that is not something a politician does easily or lightly."

John nodded. "Thank you all so much. You don't know how much I appreciate your honestly and your willingness to talk with me. And I don't mean just talking about his adorably cute butt, but the real Steve."

Laughter engulfed the table again. "He does have an adorable behind," Rachel said, "and he wears those wonderful pants that shows it off so well. When I first met him, he and Daniel were running a surveillance operation out of my house. They set up in my bedroom because that gave them the vantage point they needed. I can't tell you how many times I found reason to go into the bedroom while he was bent over their telescopes. The way those cargo pants tightened around his backside as he leaned forward was ..." But she stopped herself, blushed slightly, and took a sip of water.

John raised his wine glass to Rachel and said, "You have good taste, Rachel."

After another bottle of wine, John persuaded everyone to try a couple of the desserts, of course only after protestations all around that everyone was too full to eat another bite. The desserts were as creative and beautifully designed as the entrees had been and while each person only had a few bites, they were memorable bites bursting with flavor.

"I'm going to have to run an extra 10 miles tomorrow to work off the calories of this lunch," Kono commented.

All too soon the governor announced, "I hate to eat and run but I have a meeting. Ladies, I have had a marvelous time. Thank you for allowing me to tag along. And John, what an absolute pleasure to meet you. Thank you so much for inviting me today. I hope you decide to stay here with us. Let me know if there is anything I can do to help in quest."

Politely shaking hands, John gave her one of his over-the-top smiles and assured her that he would. Unfortunately, everyone had to get on to something else, but considering that they had been at lunch for two and a half hours that was not a terrible surprise. Rachel had to leave to pick up Grace from school and Kono had to return to work to at least give the illusion that she was doing something productive.

John suddenly found himself alone. He paid the check – how did that happen, anyway? – and then decided that checking in with Steve was his first order of business. He enjoyed the beautiful afternoon outdoors by walking to Steve's office at the Iolani Palace. As before, his suit, his sultry good looks, and his sun glasses all combined to turn heads everywhere.

He found his man hard at work – or at least focused hard since it turned out his attention was on a game of electronic battleship. Steve was so absorbed by his game he didn't notice the other man come into his office at first. He noticed the man's arrival just before two arms slipped around his neck and two lips appeared on his neck. "Hey, babe," John whispered to Steve.

Steve wrapped his hands around John's and leaned back into the embrace and the kiss. "This is nice," Steve said with a smile. "Have a good lunch?"

"Yeah, it was nice. They've got great food there."

"And did you get all the dirt you needed on me?" Steve asked.

John released his embrace and walked around so that he was facing Steve. Crouching down beside Steve's chair, he looked Steve in the eye, took his hands, and said, "I learned that your friends absolutely adore you and that my first impression of you is dead on target. And you should know, Commander McGarrett, that while I didn't come to Hawaii to fall in love, I could very easily find myself doing exactly that.

"I have to tell you, though, that I am way out of practice at falling in love so I'll probably screw it up somewhere along the line, but know that if I do it will not be intentional but purely accidental." He paused, looked down, and then said, "I don't do casual really well, Steve."

"John, will you stick around? I'd really like it if you stuck around for a while. Could you do that – for me?" Still holding hands, Steve added, "We can move your things from your hotel into my house and we can spend some time getting to know one another. We may turn out to be totally incompatible – I seriously doubt that, but it is always a possibility."

"Yes, Steve, I would like that. I would love to stick around for a while. I thank you for asking me. And yes, I would like to move my things out of that hotel and into your house, if you're sure that you want to take that big step."

"I'm sure. I don't do casual very well, either."

The two men stood and embraced like two long-lost friends who had just found each other after years of separation. "Thank you, Steve," John whispered.

"Ok," they heard from the doorway, "I'll have you know that this is a place of business, a part of the governor's office of the state of Hawaii. This is not Mama Mabel's House of Feel Good."

"Mabel's House of Feel Good?" Steve and John asked simultaneously. "Danno, how do you come up with these things?" Steve wanted to know.

"What? You've never heard of …?"

"No!" they both said simultaneously to the man leaning casually against the doorframe to Steve's office. Danny smiled a big smile and asked, "So, John, did my ex give you all sorts of dirt at lunch today?"

"She told me that you were a good man with high standards, and that if Steve got past the admission criteria and gained your acceptance then that means he's not just good, but one of the best."

"She said that?" he asked, surprised and serious.

"She said it better than I did, but yes. Steve, you've got some pretty awesome friends who think the world of you and they hope I do, too. And Danny, your ex-wife told me that if I screwed this up, that she's gonna come smack some sense into me."

"My ex-wife? Rachel? British-accented woman? Rachel? About so high? My Rachel? Really?"

"Yes, one and the same."

"Wow, you've got a way with women, babe," Danny said admiringly.

"I know," John agreed. "If only my super powers worked on men as well as on women!"

"Oh, trust me," Steve said, "they do just fine with men."

John turned and gave Steve a quick hug and equally quick kiss. When the kiss broke he simply hugged Steve and felt comfortable in his embrace for a moment.

When it ended, John said, "Danno, Steve asked me to move in with him and I said yes."

"Good. If you had tried to make a run for it I was prepared to tackle you and try my damnedest to knock some sense into you."

John stared at Danno seriously for a moment and then simply said, "Thank you, Danno."

"You're welcome."

"Now why don't the two of you get out of here," Danny suggested. "Steve, whatever you're doing can wait until Monday. Move his stuff to your house, take him for a walk on the beach. He looks like a million bucks so go show him off to the world."

"He was only playing electronic battleship, Danno."

"I knew it!!!" Danno shouted. "I knew that you sat in here playing games!"

"Only when I'm too nervous to be able to focus."

"No need for nervousness now, babe. The verdict is in. The all-clear signal has sounded."

Holding hands, the two men left the office to check John out of his hotel and move his few possessions into Steve's house. The weekend had started.

 

 **The Move**

John traveled light. Years of a perpetual itinerant life taught him quickly to not acquire much stuff and to keep life simple. If it couldn't fit into one bag or one box, it was too much. As a result, moving John from his Waikiki hotel to Steve's house was not a complicated undertaking.

At Steve's house it did not take much time to clear out some drawer and closet space for John. Steve's wardrobe was not that extensive to begin with, and the house had ample storage space. Unpacking completed, Steve grabbed two ice cold Longboard Beers and invited John to go for a walk with him on the beach.

Walking slowly side by side they savored both their beers as well as one another's company and companionship.

"You sure you're ok with this, Steve?" John asked. "You don't really know me at all. Hell, for that matter, I don't really know me that well, either. If I did I wouldn't be floundering around right now trying to figure out what to do with myself for the rest of my life."

"Yes, I'm sure. No questions asked. And you're right – we don't really know each other yet. But my gut instinct is that this is right, this is good. So, yes, I'm sure. And as a wise man once commented, I might be able to lend a helping hand on the search for what to do with the rest of your life."

John slid his aviator sunglasses down his nose a little and looked over the top of the lenses. "You really caught me off-guard, Steve. I never in my life planned on something like this. I'm not even sure I know how to do it. But I really want to try."

"Me, too," Steve said with a smile. They clinked their beer bottles together and started walking back toward Steve's house – no, actually, their house.

That night Steve introduced John to a new delicacy: fresh grilled burgers topped with grilled fresh pineapple slices.

"Danny won't touch these," Steve said. "In fact, if he sees me put pineapple slices on the grill he starts frothing at the mouth and starts waving his hands around."

"I can picture it now. But I've got to say – he doesn't know what he's missing. He is a wise man on some things, but on pineapple he really missed the boat."

After dinner and a couple more beers, John was nearly asleep. He forced himself to get up and clean up the dishes, scrub down the now cold grill, and make sure there was no ant-bait anywhere in the kitchen or on the lanai. Steve had already told him about how nasty the Hawaiian ants could be.

Despite their mutual fatigue – neither was a late-night kind of guy – they made passionate love before falling asleep in the comfort of the other man's presence.

Since the next day was Saturday – well, that really meant nothing at all in terms of their routine – both men awoke at their usual time. Throwing on shorts and some running shoes they were out the door for a rousing hour-long run along the beach.

The accumulated sweat washed off, Steve asked what John wanted to do with the day. John of course had no plans but didn't want to be a bother to Steve.

"Tell you what," Steve said, "Danno doesn't have his daughter this weekend so he's probably holed up in that shit-hole of an apartment of his …"

"Got an opinion one way or another about Danno's living accommodations, Steve?" John asked with a chuckle.

"You'll agree when you see the place." And he was right. When Steve drove them into the parking lot of Danny's place, John was dubious. But when Danny opened the door, John was convinced that Steve was right. John's sight was drawn to two things simultaneously – he was, after all, trained in making split second assessments of a situation to be able to spot trouble.

The two things that caught his attention were: 1) Danno in a sleeveless t-shirt and a baggy pair of gym shorts, and 2) the apartment was tiny – and did he say tiny? The place was tiny – and a dump.

"This is trouble," Danny observed.

Steve affixed the most innocent of expressions on his face, looked at his boyfriend, and said, "I don't see trouble, do you, John?"

"No. All I see are two friends here to help another friend out."

"Shouldn't you two be off screwing your brains out? This is the honeymoon period after all."

"Already did that," John observed. "You can come watch the next performance tonight if you want."

Danny closed his eyes and held up his hand. "There is no scenario I can ever imagine where I would want to watch the two of you getting naked and nasty."

Looking at Steve with mock-shock on his face, John said, "There's nothing nasty about it, I can assure you."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever. I don't care if it involves butterflies and rainbows – I don't want to know about it, let alone watch it. Now what are you two doing here? This is my day free from Steve's own unique brand of craziness. These days are few and far between so they are sacred.

"Love you, too, Danno," Steve said.

"Enough. What do Frick and Frack want now?"

"We've come to rescue you, Danno," John explained patiently.

"Rescue me?" the man asked incredulously. "Rescue me from what?"

"From this place you call a home," John explained. "You're in the most beautiful place on the planet on one of the most beautiful days of the year and you're sitting inside this …" he said gesturing vaguely around the apartment interior, "with the blinds closed and, … oh, Danno! Say it ain't so!"

"What?" the man asked, not following what he was saying.

"A TV dinner? In the middle of the day?"

"It's my breakfast and lunch rolled into one. I'd offer you one, but then you'd stay and that only means trouble."

"Danno, paisan! No, no, no!"

"What do you mean 'paisan'? You don't look Italian?"

"And you don't look like a smuck, so why you living like one? Steve, we're barely here in the nick of time. Operation Rescue Danno is now underway."

"No! No! No! I'm just enjoying my breakfast. You two goons get away from me!"

But his own personal rescuers were having nothing to do with his complaints. "Come on, get some shoes on your feet and let's go. We'll buy you a donut somewhere."

"You can even put some bacon on it if you want."

"I don't want to go anywhere! I'm very happy right where I am!"

"We're nearly too late. He's already delusional. We need to move fast."

Danny knew his objections were for naught so he cursed the two men while looking for some shoes to put on his feet. He opted for a pair of half-white socks and a pair of what looked like new running shoes.

Growling at John as he came back with his keys in hand, John caught him off-guard. "Danno! I just realized! You're not wearing a tie! Damn, dude, it's a good look on you."

"You are a twisted fucker, do you know that?"

"Yes," he said very matter-of-factly. With the apartment door locked – really, John thought, why bother? – the three men piled into Steve's truck. Before he started the truck, Steve looked over at his two friends. "So, where are we going?"

"You two are the posse that couldn't shot straight! Do you know that? You come and kidnap me from the safety of my home and you don't even know what to do with me after the abduction has occurred? I don't fucking believe it! Move!" he commanded to Steve who sat behind the steering wheel of the truck. When Steve didn't move, Danny repeated louder, "I said 'Move It!'"

Steve and Danny traded positions so that Steve was sitting in the middle of the seat with Danny behind the wheel with a totally cocky smile on his face. When he had the seat moved a lot closer to the steering wheel he said, "Now this is what I'm talking about! Forever you've been driving my car. It's about fucking time the tables were turned."

Before he could say another word, John spoke up from the far side of the truck cab. "You should feel special, Danno. He doesn't even let me drive his truck, and I'm sucking his dick."

Danny closed his eyes and grimaced.

Steve turned to his boyfriend and said, "You want to drive my truck?"

"Sometime, sure."

"Ok. You want to drive?"

"Hey! Sherlock! I'm behind the wheel!"

"It's true. John, you'd probably never be able to squeeze in the way he's got the seat so far forward."

"And to think I was gonna move the seat back when I was done," he muttered aloud.

"Now, you two goof balls shut up and let me think for a minute."

"Goof balls?" John said. "Steve, what's a goof ball?"

"I'm not sure, but he says that a lot. Must be some New Jersey thing."

"I'm sitting right here!" Danny protested loudly.

Deciding where he wanted to go, Danny started the truck. "Think you can handle it?" Steve asked.

"I handle you, don't I?" Danny said without a second's hesitation.

"Very good, Danno!" John said.

"Hey!" Steve complained, "Quiet over there!"

Slowly and carefully Danny drove them a few miles down the road before parking.

Steve looked at the store front and then looked at Danny. "Danno! Dunkin' Donuts? Really?"

"Hey! They have great coffee. And I like their donuts!"

"I've heard they're good, but with your obvious predisposition to hypertension …"

"You! You are the cause of my hypertension! And I'm taking pills for that now, thank you very much!" he said getting out the truck and leading the two other men inside his favorite donut shop.

"John! What do you want?" Danny asked. "Steve's buying."

"Hey! Who said I was buying? Isn't it enough I let you drive my truck?"

"You owe me! Do you know how many times you've conveniently forgotten your wallet when you've invited me out for a beer?"

"Maybe once."

"Once!? Even you can't say that with a straight face!"

"All right, maybe it was twice," he conceded.

"John, I warn you, watch this one. His wallet is sealed shut soooo tight that the air inside was last refreshed in 1975."

"Danno! I pay lots of times."

"Oh yeah? Name one. Come on! Name one. Can't? No, of course you can't because it never happens."

Steve tried to act outraged but all he managed to do was to put on what Danny called his "constipation" face, which he supposed was better than "aneurism" face – really, how did the man come up with those names?

John put his arm around Steve and nuzzled his ear saying, "I'd hate to see Danno in a bad mood."

"I've seen it – trust me, you don't want to be in the same state."

While Danny knew exactly he wanted in terms of donuts, neither Steve nor John were donut regulars so they didn't have a clue what donut etiquette required of them. They whispered back and forth for nearly 60 seconds while looking for something that looked the least deadly. Between the two of them there might have been six spare ounces of fat so they most likely didn't have much to worry about, but still …"

They finally settled on a pumpkin spice donut that was maple glazed. Steve thought the pumpkin, spice and maple sounded more natural. In point of fact, they were all fried in the same type of oil with about the same sugar and fat content.

Danny led them to a space at the counter where John and Steve examined their donut – yes, they opted to share one while Danny had three all by himself. Their examination complete, they broke their donut in half, sniffed it carefully, and tentatively licked a tiny taste of the maple glaze.

"Sweet," Steve commented to John, not in a complimentary fashion.

"Yeah, sugar tends to be sweet."

"I wonder if it's all the refined sugars that make you so perpetually grouchy, Danno?" Steve wondered aloud.

"I'm not 'grouchy' – I'm just a very determined man, which doesn't set well with everyone."

"I don't know, Steve," John said. "It could be all the saturated fats in his diet. That combined with the sugar probably are gonna shave a couple of years off his life."

"Well, if my days are numbered then why am I spending those precious few I have with you two?" Danny loudly asked the two men.

The manager walked over to the three men very tentatively and asked, "Is there a problem gentlemen?"

"Yes," John said very seriously, "with his diet. Or it could be his existential angst."

"Look at you with the big words," Danny commented. "And I apologize for my two friends here. They are new to the donut world, having survived on things like oats and pineapple and tree bark up until now when I showed them the way to the good life." Danny looked back at Steve and said, "And you call yourself a cop! Every good cop knows where the best donuts in town can be found. It's out duty, it's our obligation."

Steve looked at Danny and said simply, "When they come up with a low carb, non-fat, high fiber donut we'll talk."

"So, guys, what should we do today? After we finish our donuts, that is? Want to go surfing?"

Both Steve and Danny responded nearly simultaneously, "Danno don't surf." Steve added, "Actually, Danny doesn't swim."

John simply stared at Danny for a moment. "Sorry, I forgot. But you can swim, right?"

"I can swim," he said, "I just choose not to do so. I personally do not see the need for land-based mammals to splash around gracelessly in water. It just seems like senseless danger is all I'm saying."

"So if we don't go surfing, then let's do the opposite and go hiking up in the hills. It looks like there's a lot of potential places not that far out of town."

Steve readily agreed. "Perfect! I know just where we should go!"

"Hey, guys, just remember this is my day off and I don't get off on proving that I can leap small mountains in a single bound, or other crap like that."

"But you said you go to the gym. How is this different?" Steve asked.

"That's a controlled environment, with air conditioning, personal color televisions on every machine, and some amazingly pretty women to watch while I work out."

"Well, except for the air conditioning, the TV, and the pretty women we've got you covered."

"Got it covered? It sounds like you've got nothing."

"You've got us," John said. "You can't find us at the gym. You get some quality time with two guys who think the world of you."

Danny gave John a combination smile and smirk but didn't say anything.

"Who loves ya', Danno?" John asked. "Come on, you 'goof balls', let's hit the road. You drivin', Danno?"

"Yes!"

Taking his place behind the wheel he asked Steve who sat next to him for directions. Steve guided them on a 35-minute drive – Steve could have made it in 20 – to a place that didn't look like more than just a widening in a dirt road.

Parking and locking the truck, Steve led the three men on a beautiful but fairly gentle hike that took them past some truly amazing, exotically lush greenery. After about 20 minutes of moving through the overgrowth they broke into a clearing and were overwhelmed by a huge waterfall that started more than 70 feet up the side of a small mountain. John and Danny were both impressed by the beauty before them.

Even city boy Danny stared admiringly at the natural beauty in front of them. Steve said nothing but noticed the smile on his partner's face and was happy.

"Wow," was all John had to say but he, too, had a huge smile on his face.

After a few minutes of taking in the view before them, they slowly made their way back to the truck so that Danny could drive them back into town. Without discussing it, they returned to Danny's apartment. With the truck parked Danny led the two others to a nearby bar he knew for a post-hike beer.

All three men were quiet, not an usual thing for John or Steve, but it was unusual for Danny. Noticing that Danny was so quiet, John asked him one simple question. "You ok, Danno?"

Looking up at John, Danny nodded and said, "Yeah, I think I'm gonna be."

John smiled one of his biggest smiles and said, "Good. You deserve the very best that life has to offer, my friend."

The two men clinked the necks of their beer bottles together. Steve watched the two men, happy beyond belief that his two best friends in the world were rapidly becoming such good friends. It would have been absolutely awful if the two men had not taken to one another and he did not want to even think about what that would have been like.

After a couple of beers John excused himself to find the men's room, giving Steve a quick hug and kiss as he left the table. Not more than 15 seconds later Steve's cell phone rang. With the noise of the bar he stepped outside so that he could hear, leaving Danny alone at the table.

As he reflected on the day, his friends and his new life, his revere was interrupted. "Look at the haole faggot! Where your two faggot friends go to, haole?"

"Excuse me?" Danny said in stunned disbelief, looking up at a fairly intoxicated sizeable Hawaiian man.

"Where you're friends go, faggot?"

"Excuse me?" Danny repeated.

"You stupid, too?"

"I don't know what rock you crawled out from under, but I suggest you head back there right now an take your bigoted attitude with you."

Danny turned back to his beer only to find the bottle knocked out of his hand. Working extraordinarily hard to keep his temper in check and to maintain the good feeling from his day, Danny said, "You really, really don't want to do this, my friend."

"Don't call me 'friend'. I ain't no faggot's friend."

John chose the perfect moment to return to the table. Immediately sensing the tension in the air, John said, "Is there a problem?"

"Yeah, you faggots are the problem. What you doing coming in here? You don't belong here."

"Care to rephrase that, butthead?"

"Somebody needs to teach you a lesson," the man said advancing on John.

Since the guy was half drunk – as well as a bigoted idiot – when he took a swing at John he didn't accomplish anything other than thoroughly pissing off John. Without striking him at all, John had the man down on the floor with his hands behind his back in a seemingly single move.

Steve caught a glimpse of the movement from his place on the street and came rushing back inside when he saw his boyfriend take down the stranger. One of the drunken idiot's friends came at Steve while another went after Danny.

The minute John had taken down the drunk assailant he had immediately yelled for the bartender to call 911. The main assailant's two friends were no more efficient than their drunken friend had been. Still, the one who had gone after Danny had used a pool cue and had actually connected with him enough to cause a cut on his arm that was bleeding.

"Son of a bitch!" Danny yelled as he knocked the pool cue out of the guy's hands and kicked the man's feet out from under him. The man landed on the floor with a thud, followed by one pissed off Danny landing on top of him to keep him restrained.

Several cars full of HPD officers arrived at that moment prepared for a bar brawl of unknown origin. At first assuming that John, Danny and Steve were just some of the brawlers, they had yelled orders for the three men to get on the floor face down. When Steve identified himself and his friends, the three men they were restraining were immediately taken into custody.

The officers had questions for Steve, Danny and John but Steve insisted that paramedics check out Danny first and deal with the cut on his arm. While the paramedic examined Danny's cut, he looked at Steve and said, "McGarrett, only with you could this happen. Only with you could I get beaten up because you are getting laid."

"Sorry, Danno," John said.

"I'm just thinking about the cosmic imbalance in the universe that makes me pay the price for you two fucking your brains out."

"If it's any consolation, Danno," John said, "It's really, really good sex."

Danny smirked at the man and said, "You're not gonna be happy until that image is burned into my brain, are you?"

Steve looked at his friend as a bandage was applied to the cut on his arm, offering the one thing that he knew would get Danny's attention. "Ok. I'll buy the next beer." To prove his point he reached into his pocket, pulled out his wallet, and placed a $20 bill on the table.

A look that was a cross between bemusement and revelation appeared on Danny's face. He pulled out his cell phone and snapped a quick picture. "I need proof of this – Steve McGarrett paid for something. John, make a note – this is a sacred day. Circle this date on your calendar in red. You have been witness to one of the great events of human history. This is something that has been prophesied, but I never thought I would live long enough to witness it for myself. I thought this was something that would be left for the next generation. This is a day that will live in infamy."

"Danny," Steve said seriously, "bite me. And be careful or you'll be drinking moose-piss beer or some other equally cheap beer in a can."

"I think you can start by replacing the bottle I had before that Neanderthal knocked it out of my hand. And I think I get big points for not simply taking the idiot out right then."

"So what happened?" Steve asked, totally confused about what precipitated the event.

"What happened is the idiot and his friends apparently saw something that they found too gay for their comfort, and they decided to tell me about their concern."

"Huh?" Steve said.

"They called me a faggot. They called all three of us faggots and said they wanted to teach us a lesson. They didn't want us in their bar."

John and Steve both listened in disbelief, but unfortunately not disbelief as well. "I'm so sorry, Danno," John said.

"What? It's not your fault! You didn't call me names or take a swing at me! It was those fucking Neanderthals that did all that. You!" he said vigorously, pointing at John. "You did not do this! Do not do the whole guilt trip routine. I will not have you pulling that crap! Do you understand me? You had better understand me … and remember, I have the secret weapon: I have my ex-wife on speed dial, and if need be she will come smack some sense into you."

John sighed. "Thanks, Danno. You're right, but I still feel bad that you got assaulted because of something I did."

Danny reached for his cell phone. "I'm getting the phone ready," he warned, holding it in his hand while looking at John.

John threw his hands in the air. "All right! All right! Not that!"

"Sorry, Danno, but thanks for standing up for my honor," John said with a mock bow toward the man. "My honor and virtue are intact. You are a gentleman."

"You are so full of shit!" Danny said in response, catching John off guard. The two men shared a hearty laugh that was intoxicating in its intensity. McGarrett was helpless at the effect, joining in the delight his two friends were showing.

Due to a combination of their donuts, their hike, their beers, and their unexpected excitement, all three men were ready to call it a day. Walking Danny to his door, John and Steve said good night and drove back to Steve's house.

It was too early to go to bed so they ended up on Steve's sofa, not cuddled together but also remaining in contact, even if only with a hand. Steve checked out the news on TV while John read.

Since they were still only barely getting started at learning about one another, Steve noticed that John was reading on some sort of electronic reader. When he asked, John explained, "It's an iPad. After 20 years of needing to be able to pick up and move without much advance notice, I've sort of learned to keep my life unencumbered. This thing," he said holding up the device, "has been wonderful. I have all my music here. I have movies here. I have 500 books in here. I download magazines and read them here." He flipped to a different screen and showed Steve the beautiful electronic version of a popular monthly magazine, demonstrating how the screen could be resized with a light touch. Never one to be scared of technology – quite the opposite in fact – Steve was immediately taken with the device. John passed it to him to flip through some of the apps he had installed.

"I love it!" Steve pronounced after just a few minutes of checking it out. He had a thousand questions but limited himself to only about a dozen, all of which John patiently and easily answered. After about 20 minutes John said, "Can I have my iPad back?"

"Maybe," Steve said without looking up as he explored a new app.

"Maybe?"

"Ok," he grudgingly said. "But I like your toy!"

"Well, honey," John said with a smile as he powered down the iPad, "you can play with my toy anytime you want."

"Great," Steve said, grabbing the iPad back again.

"Hey!" John complained. "This toy!" he said, indicating himself.

"Give me a minute," Steve commented as he powered the iPad back on and proceeded to lose himself in the addictive device.

"I've created a monster," John complained. He switched his attention to the TV news program that Steve had been watching before giving up and going to bed.

“You coming to bed?” John asked.

Very half-heartedly, Steve answered, “In a minute.”

John shook his head. “Right, I’ll see you in the morning.”

“Cool! This has battleship! Oh, I love this thing.”

“I got that impression. You know you can lay in bed and use it, right?”

Steve looked up with revelation and joy all over his face. “I can, can’t I?”

John threw his hands up in the air and walked into the bedroom to begin getting ready for bed. Teeth brushed and face washed, he stripped off his clothes and crawled into bed, hoping that his boyfriend might decide to join him – and return his iPad while there was any hope of a charge remaining in its battery. He fell asleep before either joined him. Steve came to bed an hour later, plugging the iPad in to charge as he quietly crawled into bed beside his boyfriend.

 

 **Sunday was Made for Shopping**

The next morning, being Sunday, which was like any other day, saw Steve and John up at 6 and on the beach running until 7. After showers, pineapple, coffee, some fresh mango Steve had purchased the previous day, and some yogurt, breakfast was finished. John cleaned up the dishes and counters since Steve had warned him about how determined the island ants were. “Leave one crumb,” Steve had warned, “and let one ant find it and you’ll have an entire army here in under 5 minutes. They can find anything, anywhere, and get anywhere – even into spots you thought were impermeable.”

Duly warned, John became as obsessive as Steve at cleaning the kitchen counters and floors spotless. He even too to wiping down the walls with bleach cleanser in case anything had splashed.

They were just about to talk about what to do with their day when Steve’s cell phone range. By instinct he grabbed for the phone, finding Kono’s name on the caller id.

“Kono. What’s up?”

“Sorry to disturb you on Sunday, boss, but we’ve got a case.”

“What happened?”

She proceeded to fill him in on the sketchy details that had come over the police scanner radio a few minutes earlier.

“Ok,” Steve said when she finished. “We’ve got to move on this now. We’ve been after this guy for too long to let him slip through our fingers now. Call everyone else …”

“Already done. They’re all on the way.”

“Good, Kono. Good job. I’ll leaving now. See you there.”

Closing his phone, Steve looked around for John who stood nearby. John had heard Steve’s side of the conversation but had no trouble filling in the other side.

“I’m so sorry,” he started before John cut him off.

“No! This is your job. Don’t apologize. Just go do what you do and keep the world safe. That’s what you do and you do it very well.”

“I have to leave you here alone.”

“Afraid I’ll get into trouble?” he asked.

“No, I just the leaving you stuck here with nothing to do and no way to get around.”

“Steve, don’t worry about me. I’m a survivor. I’ll be fine. Go. No guilt, please.”

Steve gave him a big kiss and a quick hug before grabbing his shoes, his keys, and heading out the door to get into his truck. John watched him go from the open doorway, thinking how much he had come to enjoy the company of the big guy driving away in the blue truck.

Despite their having talked about it, Steve had not had time to give John a key to the house yet so if he went out he had no way to unlock the door when he got back. Thinking like Steve would have, he started looking around for a hidden key, finally finding one in the garden. To be sure he had the correct key he tried it in the door and found that it worked.

Shoving the key into his pocket he grabbed a decent looking shirt, shoved his feet into running shoes, and left by the front door to start the long walk back into town. He knew where he wanted to go, having passed the place a few days earlier while riding with Steve in his truck.

It took an hour, but John found the car dealership he wanted. He started looking around at the huge number of cars on the lot, knowing that he would have a salesman with him in under a minute. Car salesmen were good – they could spot a potential customer from a mile away.

As he looked at the various cars on the lot, he kept coming back to three: a BMW Z-4, a Mazda Miata, and a Jeep. I know. There was no similarity between a jeep and the two sports cars. He liked the idea of the Jeep for getting around off-road. He knew that while 800,000 people lived on the island, there were still big stretches of basically wilderness, jungle, that one could explore if you could get to them. A Jeep would make that easier.

The two low-slung sports cars would be of no use in going off-road. In fact, they would last probably about ten feet before their bottoms were ripped to shreads. His salesman tried to figure out what was John’s key deciding factor. For most people it was style vs. money. For most people it came down to money. They didn’t want – or couldn’t afford – to spend a lot of money on a car. He couldn’t get a good read on John yet so he didn’t know how to play the deal. John simply walked between the three cars, sat in eat, and thought.

Over the course of the next hour John took each car for a test drive. He loved all three of them but in the end opted for the Jeep as the car for him that could get him around town as well as off-road when necessary. Decision made, he went into the office with the salesman where they completed the necessary paperwork. The salesman got a huge shock when John paid cash for the car. He didn’t actually have that much cash on him, but he used his ATM Debit card, which easily covered the full amount.

That detail taken care of, he called an insurance company and set up the necessary insurances to keep him financially safe when he was out on the road. Shaking hands with the dealer John took the keys to his new Jeep and drove off the lot. He enjoyed the feel of the 5-speed stick shift – it felt more like the driver was an active participant in the process of driving, rather than just another passenger.

Since he still didn’t know the island very well – so much had changed since he had last visited here years earlier – it took him an hour to find his next stop but he succeeded. The store was busy – as these places always seemed to be – but he was able to get the help he needed to make his purchase. He was able to get exactly the item he wanted and was even able to talk the woman in the paper store next door into wrapping it up for him to give as a gift. He knew people found him cute – he really didn’t understand that – but he was not opposed to using it when it helped him accomplish a goal.

That mission accomplished he made his way up and down the streets looking for a grocery store. He needed a good-sized store, not a little mom-and-pop place, although they absolutely had their uses. He found a big-box store, parked his new car, grabbed a cart, and started up and down the aisles picking up what he knew Steve needed. They hadn’t talked about any of this, but John had noticed that Steve was down to one roll of toilet paper, so he found the brand that matched what he had now and bought a 12-pack. He noticed that Steve was also out of paper towels so he bought a 12-pack of them as well.

Up and down the aisles he worked, spending a fair amount of his time in the fresh produce aisle picking out some things he liked and some things he knew that Steve liked. Others would be a gamble. He got the fixings for a big homemade summer salad – one of his dishes that included mixed greens, grilled chicken, cucumber, tomato, cottage cheese, hardboiled egg whites, chick peas, and of course croutons.

All the necessary ingredients in hand he grabbed a loaf of bread to make garlic bread in case Danno joined them for dinner. He found Steve’s favorite beer and bought two cases of the stuff to put in the garage until there was space in the refrigerator.

He grabbed some snack foods, trying to avoid the fried things, opting instead for baked crackers and pretzels, knowing that Danno’s blood pressure and cholesterol needed the help.

That stop complete, he drove back to Steve’s house and put all of the groceries away. He placed his present for Steve on the dining room table at his place. He wasn’t entirely satisfied so he returned to his Jeep and drove off again in search of another store for another purchase.

John was basically no good at it, but he wanted a camera so that he could take pictures. He wanted to be able to remember Steve’s face as he opened the present John had bought for him. He wanted a picture of the man period. Given his limited photography skills, he didn’t want anything too complicated but he didn’t want an entry-level point-and-shoot camera either. He used his good looks to get a salesman to pay some attention to him and spent half an hour talking through what he wanted and what his options were. In the end he did something completely out of character – he bought two cameras. For the man who had spent his entire adult like trying to live simply, unencumbered by material possessions, this decision was a major move and a major statement about his plans for the future.

One of the two cameras was a small, pocket-sized Canon point-and-shoot camera that did a pretty good job despite its compact size. The other was a more traditional SLR type camera but with a full-frame sensor, interchangeable lenses, and the ability to make some kick-ass pictures. He bought the necessary memory cards for each as well as a couple of lenses for the DSLR camera and left the store $5,000 lighter than when he had entered.

Yes, it was a splurge, an extravaganza, but when was the last time he had allowed himself something like this? Never. He lived a very frugal, monastic life and had socked away a lot of money over the years. It felt both wrong and good at the same time to spend a little of his accumulated wealth.

With one final stop to pick up some cut flowers for the house, John returned home to put the flowers in water on the dining room table. He marinated the chicken breasts he had purchased before grilling them on the lanai.

He hated the thought of disturbing Steve at work so he sent him a text message instead, hoping that the man got the message. His message was simply, “Bring Danno back for dinner if you and he want to. I’ll have food ready.”

When the grilled chicken cooled enough, he sliced it for placement on the salad. He sliced cucumbers, diced tomatoes, cut up some of Steve’s magnificent fresh pineapple, open and washed some chickpeas. With everything prepared and at a good holding point, he opened his two cameras and started looking them over to figure out how he should get started.

Of course, like everything else, you had to start by charging the batteries so John did that while he looked through the manuals. He figured out how to use the point and shoot and was ready to try that one first once the battery was fully charged. The DSLR was much more complicated but also much more powerful. He looked forward to taking that one on hikes back into the jungle looking for waterfalls, native plants, flowers, and of course the occasional shirtless man jogging on the beach.

Steve texted that he and Danny would be there in 20 minutes which put a smile on John’s face. Checking the room one final time to be sure he was satisfied, John changed into a pair of shorts and t-shirt before sitting down on the couch with his iPad to pick up in the book he had been reading.

 

 **Presents and Dinner**

When he heard the front door open he put his book down, and smiled up at Steve as he came in the door.

“Hi, babe,” John greeted his man.

They shared a quick kiss and a hug. John gave Danno a hand-shake and a smile.

“Whose Jeep?” Danny asked, ever the Detective.

“Mine.” John answered simply and directly.

“Yours?” both he and Steve asked, nearly simultaneously.

“Since when?” Steve asked.

“Since this afternoon.”

“You rented it?" Steve asked.

"No, I bought it."

"You bought a Jeep?” Danny asked.

“Yes, Detective, I bought a car. This is a big island and I needed some way to get around so I bought a car.”

“How did you get there to buy a car?” Steve asked.

“Walked.”

“You walked all the way …” Danny started in amazement.

“Yes,” John answered simply.

“Good choice in vehicles, babe,” Danny summed up.

“Thank you, Danno. I like it.”

"And I guess this means you've decided to stay with us for a little while?" Danny asked.

"Yes, I've decided to stay while I try to decide what I want to do when I grow up."

John directed the two men onto the lanai where he brought ice cold beer for each.

“We were out of beer,” Steve said. “Where’d you get them?”

“I discovered an amazing thing!” John started in a somewhat mocking tone of voice. “There are these big stores that sell all kinds of stuff, including beer! I know! Have you ever heard of such a thing? It was pretty amazing, I’ll tell you. I knew you were out so I bought a couple of cases to resupply the larder.”

Always observant, Steve noticed that the toilet paper and paper towels had both been restocked as well. Giving John a hug he said, “Thank you. I hate shopping with a passion.”

“Exactly as I suspected. Doesn’t bother me in the least so I’m happy to do it. Actually, so many of my postings have been so far removed from stores that it is a bit of a delight for me to see so much stuff for me to choose from."

John left Steve and Danny happily drinking their cold beers on the lanai while he stepped back inside to pick up a couple of things. He returned to the table on the lanai with the beautiful cut flowers which he placed in the center of the table. He placed his present for Steve in front of him, and he pulled his smaller camera from his pocket.

“What’s this?” Steve asked.

“I bought you something. Open it.”

“What is it?”

“It’s a present, dufus!” Danny explained. “You’re supposed to open presents – and then say ‘thank you’ to the person that gave it to you.”

Steve picked it up, shook it, flipped it around, mystified.

“Open it!” John and Danno said together.

“All right! All right!” he said, a bit unsure about what was happening. John snapped several pictures with his new toy while Steve tore into his present. When he ripped the paper from the box he was surprised to find an iPad of his own inside. The smile on his face was huge and genuine.

“You bought me an iPad?!? Oh, wow!”

“What’s an iPad?” Danny asked.

“What’s an iPad?” John mimicked. “Tell me you’re joking, Danno. Come on, please tell me you know about iPads! Please!”

“Nope. Sorry. Can’t. Never heard of them. Don’t know what they are.”

“You poor, poor man,” John commented. “Steve will have to show you when he gets his all the way unwrapped and ready to roll."

Steve had the box open and the various pieces out for inspection. Steve brought out another box, unwrapped this time, which he handed to Steve. “A case to keep it protected.”

“Thank you! Thank you so much!” Steve said. “Why did you do this? You shouldn’t have done this. I can’t accept such an extravagant gift.”

“Steve, shut up and play with your new toy. Remember, it has Battleship!”

His ploy almost worked. Steve’s eyes lit up at the prospect of playing Battleship on the iPad, but he again was concerned about accepting such an expensive gift.

John brought out another box, this one wrapped as well, which he handed to Steve. “Gift cards to get you started in the app store and with buying music you like. Maybe some movies. Maybe a few books. Whatever you want.”

“Cool, but I really wish you hadn’t done this.”

“Tough. Get used to it. You’re my guy. I love you. I’m gonna sometimes buy presents for you. Get used to it. To balance it out, I'm sure I'll forget some big event sometime in the future, so remember this day when that happens.”

John stood and snapped a couple of quick pictures of Steve playing with his new toys. He got a couple of pictures of Steve and Danny sitting side by side drinking beers, both looking happy.

John left the room to throw the salads together. He carried the three big bowls out to the lanai, placing one in front of each man. He brought out a nice olive oil, a really nice balsamic vinegar, and a couple of other choices as well for those with less taste for the finer things.

“Salad?” Danny asked in a complaining tone. “You’re feeding me salad? Do I look like a rabbit to you?”

"Well, the legs are about the right length," John commented. "Don’t worry, Danno, there’s meat in there. I marinated and grilled a bunch of chicken breasts that I sliced and put on the salad. Good source of protein. And I left the pineapple out of your salad, even though you're missing one of nature's finest treats.”

“Good!” he affirmed.

After a few bites, Danny had to concede, “This is pretty good.”

“Would I feed you crap?” John asked. “Oh, almost forgot.” He dashed back inside the house and returned with the garlic bread, steaming hot and fresh from the oven.

While up he refreshed the two beers, taking away the empties before returning to his own dinner.  
"I love this chicken," Danny observed. "What's the marinate?"

"An old Italian recipe from New York."

"So Steve," Danny commented, "I could get used to this. Your boyfriend can cook for me anytime he wants."

It was Steve's turn to comment. "I didn't know you could cook."

"I wouldn't call preparing a salad to be cooking, per se."

Steve was not buying his deflection. "You're feeding me great food. Call it what you will. I didn't know you could do this. It's good. And you've somehow done the impossible – getting Danno to eat something that isn't friend in bacon grease and rolled in two pounds of sugar."

"Thank you," John said with a slight bow of his head. "I have a few skills. I can even talk about some of them."

"More super secret Ninja stuff," Danny muttered.

"No, Danno, I was not a Ninja. Steve's training put him into a whole other category. He is head and shoulders above me in his training. I just did … odd jobs, yes, let's call it that. I did odd jobs."

"Uh, huh," Danny said, not buying a single word John was saying. "Do you do windows, too?"

"Yes, actually, I do," he said. "I've actually washed some very high windows before," he said half to himself. Steve noticed his boyfriend gave a slight involuntary shudder as he said those words, knowing that the conversation had triggered a memory, a memory he would rather have left forgotten. Steve put his hand on top of John's hand and gave it a quick squeeze. He hoped that Danny didn't notice but of course the man had eyes that missed nothing.

"Sorry, John. Didn't mean to bring up some bad memories."

"No problem, Danno. They've been there for a few years and they're not going away, as much as I would love to forget them. Just one of the many times I very nearly died unexpectedly. But please, can we talk about something different? Did you resolve your case this afternoon?"

"Yes," Steve answered, "we actually did. It turned out to be a whole lot more minor than I expected. So case resolved, paperwork done, and the books closed on another one."

"Congrats, guys," John said, raising his beer bottle in their direction.

When the salads were finished, John cleared away the dishes. Both Steve and Danny objected, telling him that he had worked so they should clean up, but John absolutely would not hear of them moving from the table. "There's one more thing I need to get," he said cryptically as he disappeared inside the house.

A moment later John returned to the table carrying something that made Danny sit up and take notice. With eyes wide open, his mouth slightly ajar, Danny pointed and said, "Is that …?"

"Yes. As close as can be. I got it from a little deli I found."

What had Danny salivating and speechless was a huge New York style cheesecake – a whole cheesecake.

John disappeared back into the house, returning immediately with three small plates, a large knife, three dessert forks, and a huge bowl full of sliced strawberries. In true New York fashion, the berries had been coated with sugar and allowed to exude berry juice for a couple of hours, creating a soupy mess.

"John, I love you," Danny said.

"You haven't even tasted it yet. Neither have I for that matter. It might not turn out to be very good. It looks good."

"It looks fucking fantastic," Danny said.

"Danny, would you like to slice, or would you like me to?"

"Please go ahead. Make mine a big piece."

John cut two slices, one for him and Steve, and then made Danny laugh by placing the remainder of the huge cheesecake in front of Danny. "All for you, Danno," he said with a smile.

Danny cut a slice for himself and moved the plate into the center of the table – all right, maybe toward the center of the table but actually within easy reach. He took a bite and closed his eyes. "Mother of God," he said with a look of what could only be described as ecstasy on his face.

"Good?" Steve asked.

Rather than answer with words, Danny just rocked back and forth a little and moaned.

"I think that means 'good'," John said.

Rather than speak, Danny shoveled several more forks of the best cheesecake in the world into his mouth. He continued moaning. John thought that if the man's shoes had been off they would have seen his toes curled in delight.

John and Steve shared a look of pleasure at the smaller man's obvious delight. They remained silent for a few minutes, letting the man savor his experience. When his plate was clean Steve was a touch worried that his partner might lean over and lick the last errant crumbs and molecules.

Danny sat back and sighed. "Now this is what life is all about."

"Even if I did make you eat salad?" John asked.

"Don't tell anyone, but yes," Danny consented.

"I think you've got a hit, John," Steve observed.

Before John could make a response, Danny spoke and said simply, "Steve, if you ever do anything to fuck up this relationship, I will personally haunt you until your dying day. Do you understand me?"

"I don't have any intention of fucking it up, Danno."

"This is all new to you, Smooth Dog, and I just have to say you've got a keeper."

"You say that to all the men who buy you cheesecakes, Danno," John said.

"You're the first man who's ever bought me a cheesecake before."

"You're kidding, right?"

"Would I joke about one of the holiest of holy things?"

"Wow," John said. "That's big."

"You bet your boots it's big," Danny agreed.

When dinner was finished, John returned the cheesecake to its original box and gave it to Danny to take home with him, along with the strawberries in a plastic container. Danny gave the man a hug as he started out the door, saying simply, "Thank you."

"Anytime, my friend. Anytime."

Danny turned to Steve and gave more precise instructions. "Smooth Dog, whatever you do with him when you get him naked, do a little more of it tonight to thank him for me."

"Is that an order, sir?"

"Yes, it is."

"Good night, Danno. Drive safe." They watched the man drive away, closing and locking the door as they returned inside.

"John, that was incredible. You are incredible. The iPad. The dinner. The cheesecake. Liking Danny. Hell, tolerating Danny."

"He's a great guy, and I like doing things for people. Just don't expect it every day."

"Can I expect other things on a daily basis?"

"Those things are a requirement," he said, wrapping his arms around Steve's torso and kissing him.

Steve pulled away and giggled – yes, if "giggled" is a term you can use with a six foot tall, former SEAL – as he went to retrieve his new iPad. Dropping onto the couch he turned it on and started to set it up to his liking. John stood in the kitchen doorway for a few minutes smiling as he watched the big man obviously happy. He knew that Steve's life had had more than its share of unhappiness, so he liked the fact that he could bring a smile to his beautiful face.

John washed up the last of the dinner dishes, did ant inspection, and then joined Steve on the couch with his own iPad. While Steve played and downloaded some things, John quietly sat beside him reading, one hand resting comfortably on Steve's leg.

After about an hour, John disappeared for a few minutes, reappearing shirtless a few moments later. "Hey sailor, think I could tear you away for a few minutes for another sort of game?" As he spoke he rubbed one of his hands across his flat belly. The hand moved upwards to his chest, tweaking one nipple. He looked at Steve with what could only be considered a sultry, provocative look.

Steve turned off the iPad (but carried it with him) and followed John into the bedroom. John ordered him to go brush him teeth and get ready for bed. When Steve returned to the bedroom he found a sight he had never beheld before – John was naked, on the bed, on his hands and knees, with his beautiful ass up in the air.

Looking over his shoulder, John said, "Think I might be able to interest you in a little sex tonight?"

Steve practically panted, salivating like Danno had done earlier with the cheesecake.

Steve shed his clothes and moved toward the bed, running his hands over John's backside. "My God you are beautiful," he said.

John felt the head of Steve's erection rub against his leg. "Fuck me, Steve. Now. Please."

"Oh, yes!" he said, starting to pull away.

"Now, Steve," he practically begged.

"Lube. Need lube."

"I'm already loosened and lubed, Steve. Just slide in. Please."

Steve looked down at the man who had so quickly and easily stolen his heart and said, "Anything, baby." With one step his erection was lined up perfectly with John's ass. True to his word, John was loosened and lubed and ready for action. With a steady forward pressure, Steve slid his dick deep into John's body, eliciting a groan of delicious pleasure from the man on his knees.

When Steve hit bottom he heard John make a gasp and hold his breath. He inhaled and begged, "Fuck me, Steve, please fuck me."

"Gladly," Steve said as he started to slide in and out of his boyfriend's body. With each stroke John encouraged him to keep going. Steve leaned forward onto John's back, wrapping his arms around John's trim torso, kissing his way around the man's smooth, tanned neck as he fucked him with a steady rhythm.

With one stroke John's arm slipped and Steve's weight pushed him onto his stomach. Taking advantage of the new position, Steve used his knees to spread John's legs apart and give him greater access to the gates of paradise.

Placing one of his big hands on each of John's shoulders, Steve propped himself up and started power fucking the man's ass, slamming his entire sizeable erection into his boyfriend over and over and over again. It was hard at that point to tell which of the two men was feeling greater pleasure. It was fair to say that both were thoroughly enjoying themselves, their partner, and the moment.

All too soon, Steve dropped fully onto John's back and shuddered. He gasped but otherwise remained silent. Years of training and quick blow jobs on board crowded ships had taught him to cum silently. While most men were somewhat vocal at orgasm, Steve was the opposite – he was silent. John didn't actually know how the man did it, but there was no mistaking the moment. He could feel Steve shudder as he blasted his load deep inside John's body before collapsing quietly.

A moment later Steve lifted his head and gently kissed John's shoulder. "That was the best sex I think I've ever had," Steve said.

"You probably say that to all the guys," John teased.

"Haven't been that many guys. No need for any others now that I've met you." Steve wrapped his arms tightly around John and hugged him close. His erection had subsided and he slipped out of his partner's body, rolling over to lay on his back beside the man.

John went to shower before returning to let Steve have the bathroom to shower. When Steve returned he found John sound asleep with a peaceful expression on his face. Steve picked up his new iPad and lay quietly on his side of the bed, his face flipping back and forth from John's face to his iPad every few minutes.

New Life

Over the weeks that followed John became a regular fixture in 50's life. Not only did he bring Steve more happiness than the man had ever known in his adult life, but he was genuinely a nice guy that everyone liked to have around. He was fun, he was smart, and he quickly became a solid part of their lives.

With John in his life, Steve finally consented to something that he had studiously avoided since returning to Hawaii – he accepted an invitation from the Governor for a formal dinner. He didn't really know what the occasion was – that didn't matter to him. What mattered was that he and John were going to dinner together as a couple at the Governor's invitation. A public, formal event. An event that was in some ways their public coming out since it was the first time they would be seen and introduced together formally.

John rented a tuxedo for the occasion. Steve dressed in his white Navy uniform, complete with his medals and various awards. The contrast of the black of the tuxedo and the white of Steve's uniform was stunning.

When they were ready, John drove them to the Governor's house in his Jeep, delighted to drive with the top down so that everyone could see the stunning man by his side. The feeling was mutual – Steve was equally delighted and considered himself to be the fortunate one.

The valet took their keys when they arrived, directing the two men to where they should proceed. They could have found the location without his directions, simply by following the sounds of the music and the voices.

Steve had known that the governor entertained a lot in her role as governor, but to actually see the crowd of people all present because of her gave him a new element of respect for the woman. As they entered the room, John looped their arms together so that they could walk in clearly identified as a couple. No one could mistake their arrival together to be a chance encounter – they were a couple.

Spotting the newest arrivals, the governor pulled herself away from a gaggle of supporters to make her way to John and Steve. "Commander. Colonel. Such a pleasure to have you here."

"Thank you for the invitation, Governor," John answered. "I generally despise large gatherings of people," he confided, "but for the chance to have this man on my arm, … well, I'd do just about anything."

She gave them both a big smile before leading them into the crowd to introduce them to a number of people. The dinner was a veritable "Who's Who" among the movers and shakers in Hawaii. There was more wealth arrayed around the room than Steve had ever seen before. John didn't appear to be phased in the slightest by the assemblage of people, power and prestige.

Leaning over to his boyfriend, Steve said, "Why aren't you more nervous?"

"Simple. I've done this a thousand times. After a while it just becomes old hat."

The two men moved around the room chatting with people, some of whom Steve had seen before but most of them unknown. There was something exotic about them, however, that attracted a number of people. They were two tall, handsome, stunning men with classic good looks. They were clearly together and had no hesitation showing their affection freely.

Steve had been terrified that he wouldn't be comfortable with PDAs (public displays of affection) but in reality he found it stimulating, enticing, liberating, and delightful. He was proud to be seen with John by his side.

"John!" they heard someone call from a few feet away.

"Rachel!" John said, spotting Danny's ex-wife. He gave the woman a big hug by way of greeting. "You here alone?" he asked when he didn't see anyone else with her.

"No, my husband is around here somewhere. Working the crowd no doubt. Business never stops – especially when you have this much power assembled in one place."

"True," John said in acknowledgment.

A bell sounded and the lights were lowered for a moment before coming back to full strength. "Ladies and gentlemen!" the governor announced. "Dinner is served."

"That's our cue," Rachel said, "time to find Stan."

"Talk with you later, Rachel."

They joined the throngs of party-goers in moving toward the dining room. Giving their names at the door they were escorted to their seats at one of the many tables of eight that filled the large, elegant dining room. Steve did a quick count and guessed that there were about 100 people present for dinner – a small gathering by Navy shipboard standards.

Throughout dinner they made conversation with the others at their table, finding several of the people absolutely captivated by the allure of dining with a handsome male couple. When dinner was finished and dessert and coffee had been served and a few people were moving around the room, Steve looked up when he heard someone else seem to recognize his partner.

"John?"

"David. What are you doing here?"

"I could ask you the same thing, little brother."

"Having dinner," John said in an obvious move to be difficult.

Steve watched the interaction with great interest. The two men simply looked at one another for a moment not speaking.

Standing, Steve said, "Hi, Steve McGarrett." The two men shook hands and exchanged names. "I didn't know you had a brother, John."

"Just the one," he said simply, standing beside Steve.

"Do you live in Hawaii?" Steve asked.

"No, California, actually. Just here on business. One of my business associates invited me to join him tonight so here I am."

"You traveling alone or is your wife with you?" John asked.

"All by myself on this one, unfortunately. This is a relatively quick trip so there's no time for anything fun."

"What about you, John? Where are you living these days?" his brother asked with curiosity.

"Here," he said with an utter lack of information.

Steve was absolutely amazed by the interaction, astonished that his usually confident boyfriend was clearly uncomfortable. He had never seen anyone elicit this response in the man so he was intrigued. He remained silent by John's side, though, letting him direct the conversation. Steve wasn't sure if John was out to his family and didn't want to do anything to make the situation more uncomfortable for the man.

That question was answered, though, when they moved into an adjoining room for after dinner dancing. At John's suggestion, they moved onto the dance floor. Steve whispered in his ear, "I'm a really, really bad dancer."

"Don't worry," John answered, "so am I."

They held one another close and moved slowly with the music, which was fortunately a slow number. Steve was fortunately spared embarrassment when he felt a tap on his shoulder and found the governor asking if she could cut in. Steve moved to the side of the room while John danced for a few minutes with the governor. He was very curious about what they were discussing, seeing that they were deep in conversation. He made a mental note to himself to ask John about their conversation on the way home.

Steve's quiet contemplation was interrupted by the sound of a man's voice by his side. "So, you and my brother …?"

"Yes," he said proudly. After a moment of silence, Steve asked, "You aren't especially close with your brother?"

"Close?" the man said. "No. I actually didn't even know if he was dead or alive."

"Really?" Steve said in disbelief.

"His life is his own. His one goal in life was to get as far away from his family as possible and he did that very well. He had no interest in going into the family business. No, actually, that's too mild a statement. He fled as far as he could from his family's efforts to give him a good life."

Steve quietly considered the man's words, not knowing exactly how to take the statement but sure that there were two different stories waiting to be told. The Governor returned his boyfriend at that point. He felt John slip his hand into his own hand. "Thanks, Steve, for letting me borrow John for a few minutes."

"Of course, ma'am."

When she had moved off, David raised his eyebrow, looked at his brother, and said, "On a first name basis with the Governor? I'm impressed little brother."

"Don't be. We're just friends," he said.

"You would have been a natural in the family business, John," the man said admiringly.

"But I have no interest in your business," John said dismissively. "Had about enough fun for one evening, Commander?" he asked.

"Sure. Anytime you're ready."

"Good night, David. Good to see you. Have a good trip home," John said as he turned and guided them toward the door.

Steve looked back and forth between the two men, at a complete loss. Shaking the man's hand, Steve said, "Nice to meet you."

Steve stepped quickly to rejoin his boyfriend, taking his hand and whispering, "You ok?"

"Not now, please," was all he answered, holding himself ramrod straight.

"Of course," Steve said.

They retrieved John's Jeep from the valet and drove home. Steve remembered his question, asking, "So what were you and the governor talking about on the dance floor?"

John thought for a moment before answering, "I don't honestly remember."

"Really?" Steve said.

"I wouldn't lie to you, Steve."

"Sorry," Steve said. "Didn't mean that to sound like it did."

John gave him one of his patented smiles. "No worries. Let's just go home and go for a walk on the beach."

"I can do that," Steve said. "Have I told you how hot you look tonight?"

"Not for at least ten minutes."

"You look really, really hot tonight. You make that tux look like it was meant to look on a man. You turned heads everywhere tonight. You had women and men alike watching you."

"I think they were just concerned I was gonna steal the silver or something."

"No. They all agreed with me that you are hotter than hot. You had all the women practically in a lather, including the governor. And the men. Well, we won't even talk about them, but if we did there were a fair number that were dazzled by your good looks."

"Have I told you lately that I love you?"

"Not for at least ten minutes."

"Well, I love you," he said.

"Good. And may I say that you do it better than anyone ever has before."

"Aw, shucks. You say the sweetest things. You in all your white suited beauty."

"No, not beauty. I'll take handsome, though."

"Deal. Oh, and you should know that I'm planning to fuck you right through the mattress tonight."

"Really," Steve said. "You think you're up for that?"

"Oh, yeah. Try and stop me."

"Wouldn't dream of it. Would be disappointed if you didn't."

"Good. You won't be disappointed. And neither will I."

"Awfully sure of yourself there, aren't you?"

"Not all the time, but when I'm right, I'm right."

When John parked the Jeep in front of Steve's house, Steve leaned over the stick shift and pulled the man's face close for a kiss. With the build-up of their conversation on the drive home, John wouldn't have been surprised by an intensely passionate kiss. Instead, though, Steve was slow and tender, stroking John's face while he gently kissed him. "I love you, John."

John looked away before saying, "You are the best thing that has ever happened to me. I keep thinking I'm gonna wake up to find that it's all been a dream and that you're not there."

"I'm here," Steve said, taking John's hand and squeezing. "Feel me? I'm here and I'm not going anywhere – ever. You're stuck with me."

John reached out and hugged Steve, breaking away quickly. "Let's go inside before I lose it out here."

Inside the house they changed clothes before moving to the lanai for an after dinner beer. They left the porch lights off, enjoying the look of moon light falling on the ocean beyond the beach.

"I never get tired of this view," John said.

"Agreed," Steve said as he sat looking at John. John noticed that Steve was looking at him. "You're not even looking; how can you agree?"

"You look at what you want and I'll look at what I want."

Without speaking, they each reached out a hand and sat quietly simply holding hands as they looked out at the ocean. They listened to the age-old rhythmic sound of waves hitting the shoreline, allowing the steady, repetitive sound to wash away some of the unexpected anxiety of the evening.

"Thanks for not asking, Steve."

"I know you'll tell me when you're ready."

John stood, stepped into the house and returned a few seconds later holding his cell phone. Hitting two numbers to speed dial someone he put the phone to his ear.

"Danny? Did I wake you? Sorry. You alone? Good. Well, no, not good, but I need to talk to you. … Language, Danno!" He held the phone a little away from his ear. Steve was able to hear his partner's raised voice without moving closer to the phone.

"Danno? Danno? Take a breath man. Danno? Language, Danno."

John sat listening to Steve's partner for a minute until he ran down, ending his rant with, "John? Why are you calling me in the middle of the night?"

"It's not the middle of the night!" He realized he didn't have a clue what time it was. "It's … Steve, what time is it?"

"How the hell should I know," he answered. "Danno?" he shouted toward the phone, "what time is it?"

Danny answered, "I'm hanging up now guys."

"Danny," John said, "please don't."

There was some quality about the man's voice that made Danny not carry through on disconnecting the call. "John? What's wrong? Are you and Steve having a fight?"

"What? No! God, no. He's being so fucking good to me I can't believe it. It's just been a very … unexpected evening. You ever had the experience of the dead not staying dead? The past not staying where you locked it away?"

"What happened?"

Danny heard John sigh but didn't hear anything else. Steve looked at John and then reached over and took the phone. "Hey, Danno," Steve said in a subdued voice.

"Steve? What's wrong? John doesn't sound too happy."

"He's not at the moment."

"What's wrong? Do you want me to come over there?"

"No, thanks though. John saw his brother unexpectedly tonight and it sort of reawakened some memories."

"Steve, it's 2:30 am. I can get dressed and be over there in 15 minutes. Either that or you can take him to bed and hold him tight."

"I think I'll do the latter. Thanks, Danno. Talk to you in the morning," Steve said as he disconnected the call.

"I shouldn't have called him," John said.

"Don't worry about it. The man thinks you practically walk on water as it is." Steve's remark brought a smile to John's face.

"Thanks, I needed to hear that."

Steve took John's hand and said, "No problem. Come on. Let's go to bed. As you just heard from a very wise … or cranky … man, it's the middle of the night and time for us to go to bed."

John followed Steve back into the house. True to his earlier promise, John took Steve to bed and rode him hard and relentlessly before they went to sleep. Steve thought the man was an absolute machine the way he kept going that night. John bent Steve in any number of different shapes and contortions before they were finished. In the end he had Steve on his back, jerking him off as he fucked him. Out of character, when Steve's orgasm arrived, he cried out in release. The sound was all it took to carry John over the edge as well.

A few minutes later when their breathing had returned to normal, John withdrew from Steve's body and slid off his back to lie beside him. Steve simply said, "Damn! That was good."

"Oh, yeah," John concurred.

Due to the vigorous sex, their earlier anxiety, and the lateness of the hour, both men fell asleep as they were. Steve lay on his back with one arm thrown up over his head – a habit he'd had for years. John lay on his side facing Steve with one arm tossed over Steve's stomach.

 

 **Coffee**

Sometime later sounds of movement could be heard from elsewhere in the house. As a testament to how tired John and Steve were, neither man heard the footsteps and neither man stirred.

A few minutes later the door to their bedroom was pushed open and a man entered. He pulled the curtains open to let in the bright morning sunlight before turning toward the bed. He looked admiringly at the two men who lay in the bed sound asleep. A small smile crept over his face.

And then he yelled, "Get your lazy asses out of that bed right now! Do you plan to sleep away the entire day! It's 11:00 in the fucking morning! Move it! Move it! Move it!"

John had jumped out of bed and instinctively moved into a fighting stance when he heard the man yelling. Steve's reaction was as fast but took a different route – from somewhere nearby he produced a gun which he aimed at the source of the noise.

"Really, Steven! A gun! In the bed!"

"Danno? What are you doing here?" Steve asked, only partially awake.

"I came to bring you coffee and breakfast. But since its nearly lunch time I'm not sure if that plan still works. And I also don't generally like serving coffee to people who are pointing guns at me!"

Steve put the gun back into its hiding place before hoping out of bed. John had walked around the bed to Steve's side and wrapped his arm around his boyfriend.

"Ok, guys. Here's the way it's gonna work. Danno is here to help with whatever is going on. We're gonna start with no visible penises. I've got nothing against penises. In fact I'm rather fond of my own. But I don't see the need to take it out and show it off to people. So, you two are gonna go and shower and get some sort of clothing to cover yourselves."

"Or at least our penises?" John teased, now awake enough to engage in banter with his friend.

"At least. Covering nipples too would be wise."

"Wise?"

"All right, reasonable, proper. Better?"

"Why do you feel so negatively toward nipples, Danno? They are things of beauty, overlooked by 90% of men."

"I have nothing against them. I also have nothing for them so I see no need to display them. Put them away please. Go. Now. Shower. Meet me in the kitchen in 10 minutes and you'll get coffee."

"Danno," Steve started. "There's coffee beans in the refrigerator."

"Already got it covered. You. Shower. Clothes. Now. And no hanky panky. Ten minutes. The clock starts now. If you're late … well, let's just say don't be late. You wouldn't enjoy my method of moving things along."

"Steve," John said with one of his arms wrapped around his boyfriend's waist and said, "short people scare me sometimes."

"Tick tock, gentlemen, tick tock. And I'm not short! You're just freakishly tall! Move it! Move it! Move!"

"We'd better do what he says. God alone knows what he'd do if we are late."

"He's quite the little Emperor Napoleon, isn't he?"

The two men did as instructed and showered. And really, how did man live before showers? Showers were a gift straight from the Gods. Without showers, man was just animals, really. Whoever invented the shower should be recognized with a holiday, with statues in parks, with parades. Showers were glorious things.

With 11 seconds to spare – but who was counting – Steve and John walked barefoot into the kitchen. Each man had followed directions and pulled on shorts and a t-shirt, covering up all their tender bits.

Danny pointed them to two stools on the living room side of the kitchen counter. John slid in easily, but Steve grimaced a little as he sat down. "A bit tender this morning?" John asked.

"A little. You were an animal last night. I don't think I've ever been fucked quite so hard for so long and with such intensity."

"Sorry, babe."

"I’m not! I had the biggest orgasm of my life. I think I'm dehydrated from it even." Turning to Danny, John said, "Got any juice, Danno?"

"Huh?" Danny said, dumbfounded by the conversation he had just heard.

"Juice? Wet stuff? Refrigerator."

"No."

"Ok," John said, getting up from his stool and going into the kitchen. He pulled a machine out from under the counter, put it on the counter and plugged it into an outlet. He stepped through a door into the garage briefly, returning with his arms laden with fresh pineapples.

"Oh, Jesus!" Danny said, pulling back from the sight.

John urged him to take the seat he had just vacated while he cut the crowns off the pineapples and cut them into big strips. One by one he fed the big pieces into the juicer and made two large glasses of fresh squeezed pineapple juice. He didn't even both to ask Danny if he wanted one.

Steve inhaled the smells coming from the juicer and practically purred.

"You two are just sick," Danny said, not understanding the appeal of pineapple. Somewhat intrigued by the process, he asked, "Now what do you do with all the … waste, pulp, whatever you want to call it?"

"I work it into the soil in the garden so that it can break down and enrich the ground where I'm gonna plant vegetables this summer."

"Huh," he said.

"It came out of the Earth and it goes back to the Earth."

"Well not all of it," he said, pointing toward the glass of juice. "Unless you pee in the garden as well, in which case I'm never eating anything you cook ever again."

"You're safe, Danno. No peeing allowed anywhere near the garden."

"Good. Now get out of there," he ordered John, also instructing him to remove the juicer – Danny wouldn't touch the thing.

Seated on his stool next to Steve once again, John watched Danny grind some coffee beans. The man made three cups of what smelled like good coffee. It wasn't Steve's Kona beans but whatever it was smelled pretty good.

While the espresso machine brewed the coffee one cup at a time, Danny produced a bag of muffins – huge muffins packed with fruit. It turned out that all three men were most taken with a cranberry orange muffin that tasted incredible.

They enjoyed their muffins, their coffee, their juice, and one another's quiet company. As soon as the muffins were finished and the coffee refreshed, Danny reached across the counter and took John's hands in his so that the man couldn't escape. "Ok, babe, talk. Danno is listening."

"You mean the call last night?"

"Yes, the call last night. I very nearly got out of bed and came over here."

"I'm sorry I called you like that. And I'm glad you didn't come over here because your boss and I were fucking like rabid tree squirrels for about an hour after we went to bed."

Danny didn't close his eyes like he had previously. He just smiled and said, "Go on."

"Well, I started out with him on …"

"You know very well that that's not what I want to hear! Shut up about the sex and tell me what happened to make you call me. Come on, babe, I'm worried about you."

Taking a deep breath, John explained, "There's really not much to tell. It's the age-old story. Father wants his son to follow in his footsteps. Father builds a company and wants his son to join him in the business. Son tells his father to go fuck himself and leaves. They never speak again and then it's too late. And there you have it."

"I think you've probably omitted a tiny detail here or there," Steve observed.

"Only one – maybe two."

"Sure," Steve added.

After a moment of quiet, Danny asked, "Was it the business you objected to?"

"No. Not at all. The family business built airplanes and I ran away to fly. It was both not that far and at the same time a million miles away. What I didn't want and couldn't handle was having my father run my life, make my decisions, tell me what to do, how to do it, when to do it. He had built the company and he had strong views about how he wanted the company to be run. I knew that if I joined him I would be miserable for the rest of my life and I couldn't do that. I wouldn't do that. So I left. I walked away."

John paused in his explanation. "Had I stayed I wouldn't have ever had to worry about money." He stopped again for ten seconds. "As it turns out, in the end I inherited 50% of the company anyway and the company is now so massive I can't get free of it, so even dead he still won't let me get free of his shadow."

"But you would have had to sell your soul, in effect, had you stayed," Steve said.

"Yes," John answered quietly.

"I'm glad you made the decision you did. It made you who you are today. And I really like who you are today."

John looked at him and couldn't help smiling. "Damn, you're good."

"Hey, once in a while I get a little wood on one of the balls."

"Never in my wildest dreams could I have imagined I would meet someone like you."

"You didn't meet someone like me – you met me."

"It almost makes me believe in a deity."

"I've never been called God-like before."

"I didn't call you God-like!"

"You say tomato, …"

“Ok, if you two are done with your mutual admiration society – and allow me to say that if you’re doing some of the things you’ve apparently been doing, you damn well better feel that way about one another.”

Pointing at Steve Danny said, “And you, Mister, if you had done what I told you and kept your feet on the floor this man would never have had his nasty way with you.”

“Um, Danno,” Steve said, “I think at one point I probably had both feet firmly on the floor. It was later they were in the air.”

Danny mostly suppressed a shudder, smiling at Steve and John. “It’s too late. You’ve already fried my brain. You can’t shock me anymore.”

John smiled a totally evil smile and said, “Oh, Danno! A challenge. Find a new way to shock Danno. Yesss!”

“Oh, dear Lord!” Danny pleaded. “Why me?”

“Because we love you, Danno,” Steve said.

“Bite me, babe.”

Taking a deep breath, Danny said, “So, John. You gonna see your brother again?”

“Not if I have a choice.”

“You don’t want to have closure on that part of your life? It clearly bothered you. And you’ve never struck me as a man scared of a challenge.”

“I don’t mind a challenge, Danno, but I don’t like reopening old wounds for no good reason."

"Sometimes if you reopen them once in a controlled manner they will finally heal and never bother you again."

John stared at Danno. "But I don't wanna!" he pouted.

"Ok, I'm going out on a limb here, but do it. I'll go with you if you want. Tell him you love him. Tell him you hate him. Tell him you don't ever want to see him again. Tell him you miss him terribly. I don't care, but go and tell him something so that he knows where you stand and you feel better about having said your piece."

"You suck," John complained.

"No, actually you do," Danny responded, "and from what I gather you do it rather well."

John naturally and instinctively lifted his head with a bit of pride when he heard Danny's words of praise.

 

 **Six Months Later**

Usually at the end of the workday Steve came home at about 6:00 and he and John spent a quiet evening together. Sometimes they went out for drinks or dinner after work with co-workers or friends.

About six months into their relationship, one evening Steve came home at the usual time but with Danny Williams tagging along. Steve, Danny, and John spent a lot of time together because they all were friends and got along amazingly well for such different people.

John heard the men enter the house from his place on the lanai. Putting his book down he walked into the house. "Hi, guys. What's up?"

Rather than answer in words, Danny simply walked toward John, stopped about 5 feet in front of him, and dropped to one knee, kneeling before the man. Needless to say, John was a touch surprised by Danny's move. His surprise increased further when Danny reached out, took his hand and kissed his hand.

He looked at Steve for some hint about what this new behavior was all about. Steve simply crossed his arms, smiled and shook his head.

"Rise, my child," John said for lack of any other idea.

Once Danny stood, John looked at him and said, "Ok, Danno. Care to explain?"

"You are a God. You have performed a miracle. A miracle I never thought I would live to see. A miracle that will most likely save my life a couple dozen times over."

"Ok. Glad I could help. What did I do that elevated my status to that of a deity?"

"You've turned Steve McGarrett into a sane man. A man who … are you ready for this? Really ready? … He called for backup before running with guns glazing into a firefight." Pausing for effect, Danny emphasized, "He called for backup! Do you know how many times that has happened? Never! He called for backup! I can't tell you how excited that made me!

"Ever since I first met this man – from day one of our working relationship – I have asked him, no begged him, to always call for backup before going into a dangerous situation. But he's never done it. Until today. You have made this Ninja into a man who works on a team. I never thought I'd live so long. This is a sacred day. This is a holy day. This is a day to give thanks.

"You, my friend, changed the unchangeable. You have mystical powers. You are doer of the impossible. You perform miracles. You've brought his testosterone levels down to those of a mere mortal man. All thanks to you."

"Danny, stand up!" John ordered, feeling uncomfortable with the man's actions, even though the audience consistent of only Steve, a man who was still smiling coyly off to the side of the room.

John directed the two men out to the lanai and grabbed two beers out of the refrigerator for them. The three sat relishing the beautiful Honolulu sunset. Danny gave a huge sight. John looked over at him and saw the man smiling one of his biggest smiles – a smile so big it almost didn't seem possible that he could put all of it onto his face.

"Danny, you're positively chipper – you should know that it's a bit scary."

"What?" he said. "I'm always chipper. But especially today, a day of miracles."

"Steve," John said in desperation, "what did you do?"

"What he said," Steve answered.

"He called for backup," Danny repeated. "He called for backup. And are you ready for this? When I asked him why the sudden change in behavior, he said – ready? – that he didn't want himself or any of us to take needless risks or to endanger ourselves." Danny still had that massive smile on his face.

John had a confused expression on his face, holding up his hands as if to say, "Yeah, so?"

"Don't you get it? You've made him value life! You've made him want to live through the day! He wants to be able to come home to you in one piece!" Danny practically twitched with delight. "I love it! I can't thank you enough."

John raised his bottle of beer toward Danny in a toast, even though he was still a bit mystified. "Thanks," he said, not sure what other response would work in this situation. He knew that Steve had a tendency to plow into any situation – unless it dealt with emotions – more quickly than others. John had quickly decided that the reason was that Steve's mind was faster than most and he could visualize branching option patterns and contingencies that most people couldn't envision as quickly. In other words, the man was good. It wasn't that he was reckless, he just was smart and his mind worked fast.

Still, John didn't totally dismiss the lowering of testosterone levels idea. He and Steve still enjoyed a very vigorous sex life, even after six months together. It never seemed to get old. John still got excited when Steve walked into the room, and even more so when the man took off his shirt. He positively lost it when the pants came off as well. And Steve felt the same reaction with John. Combine that with the fact that neither man had had a steady relationship or sexual outlet throughout most of their adult lives and you ended up with sexual drives and energy that was unequaled.

Steve disappeared into their bedroom and came back a moment later wearing a loose pair of shorts. He left his shirt behind, standing bare-chested. After six months, the sight of his boyfriend's naked chest still excited him.

Steve caught sight of the man's reaction, saying, "You know, you are as horny as a teenager."

"You're a good one to talk!" John complained good-naturedly.

While Danny was in the bathroom, Steve sensed that something was on his partner's mind. "You're awfully quiet tonight. What's up?"

Without looking up, John said, "Steve, we need to talk."

Steve felt as if his heart skipped a couple of beats. The words "we need to talk" were classic starters for "we're finished." Every horrible possibility crashed to the front of his mind. He quickly thought of everything he had done wrong, every stupid thing he had said, every important thing he had forgotten.

"I thought you were happy …" Steve said, at a loss for what else to say.

"What?" Suddenly realizing where Steve's mind was going, John quickly said, "No! No! No! I'm happier than I've ever been in my life, happier than I ever thought I would be."

"Then what's wrong?"

John sighed, leaned back on the sofa, and closed his eyes. "I got a phone call today from my old bosses. They want my help with something. They want me to go on a mission. They've sort of got themselves into a bit of trouble and need some help hauling their asses out of the fire."

"I'm assuming that it would be dangerous," Steve said.

"Oh, yeah, you could say that," John agreed.

"Really dangerous?"

"Yup."

"Don't go," Steve said imploringly. "Don't go."

"I don't want to go. I finally have something I never thought I would have. I'm not a coward. I've spent years taking risks, doing things others wouldn't do. Every day I went out knowing that I might not come back at the end of the day. But this time I don't want to go."

"Don't go, John. Please, don't go."

"The problem is that I know the guys that are in trouble. They're great guys and if I don't go I may not be able to live with myself if they don't make it out alive."

"I'll go with you. I'm trained in special ops."

"Wish I could babe, but you're security clearance isn't high enough."

"I have top secret security clearance."

"Not this high."

"Really?" Steve said in disbelief but also belief.

"Really."

"I've done some pretty off the books kind of ops in my time."

"This one definitely fits into that category."

"I can make some calls. I have some high level contacts in DC. I can pull in some favors and get read in."

"I've spent years making the tough calls on the spot. But this time I really don't know what to do. I want to go, but I also want to be totally selfish and not play with fate and risk everything one more time."

"When do you have to decide?"

John looked at his watch. "About 5 minutes."

Steve felt his world at risk of disintegrating before his eyes. When Danny walked back into the room he was still bubbling over with enthusiasm from the day. One quick look at the two men told him immediately that something was wrong. In the time he had known Steve he had never seen the man look scared, but that was the way he looked now. And John wouldn't look at him.

"Guys," he said. "You're not looking very happy. What's up?"

Neither spoke for a moment. Steve finally tried to put it into words. "He has to go away, Danno. And there's a chance he won't be coming back."

While it was rare, it did happen – Danny Williams was speechless. He was no expert on gay relationships, but he thought that what John and Steve had was the strongest relationship he had seen and that the two men were perfect for one another.

"No," was all he was able to say. "What did you do?" he said, directing his question to Steve.

"He didn't do anything, Danno," John answered. "I'm sort of being reactivated. And the mission is high risk."

"No. They can't. No. I'm sorry, but no. No. If you think that I'm going to stand by and let you go off and do some stupid death-defying save the world kind of thing, you are seriously nuts."

"Just a few minutes ago you were calling me a deity. Boldly going is what deities do."

"No," Danny said, closer to tears than he could believe. He didn't know what else to say. "No." His simple one-word statement was quickly turning into a plaintive, begging request.

"No. You are too … you're the one. You're Steve's guy. No. You're not going anywhere. If I have to sit on you or handcuff you to a palm tree, you're not … no, just no."

Steve looked at John. "They won't tell me anything, will they? When you leave, you'll be so far under the radar that no one will know what's happening. And I don't have any standing in their eyes. I'm nobody. Just some stranger asking questions. It's not like I'm a husband or wife with some right to know what happened to the loved one on loan from their personal collection. If something happens to you I’ll likely not even be told.”

"I've listed you as my primary contact. You're the beneficiary on my pension and my insurance."

"But that doesn't change the fact that I've got no legal status. And if something goes wrong I'll never be told. They'd call your brother before they would call me, and they'd never call me."

Steve was closer to losing control than he could remember ever being. In six short months his life had changed so dramatically for the better. He rose from his chair and quickly left the room.

Danny was still basically speechless. Nothing that he could think to say would change the situation. When the 5-0 team had first started working together and had formed their bond, Danny, Kono and Chin had worked out a pre-determined one word alert to indicate life-threatening crisis. Danny pulled out his cell phone and quickly texted that one crisis word to both Chin and Kono along with the statement, "Steve's house."

He knew that wherever his coworkers were, regardless of what they were doing, they would both immediately drop it and head to Steve's. He didn't know how long it would take since he didn't know how far away they were, but he hoped it wouldn't take long for them to get there. Danny was feeling so overwhelmed and inadequate at the moment and he needed help – desperately.

Danny stood looking at a forlorn John. Steve had left the room to go who knew where. For once in his life Danny Williams didn’t know what to say. He was rarely at a loss for words, able to fill any situation with words of some sort. So he did the only thing he could think to do. He walked over to the sofa, sat down next to John, and put his arm around the man, pulling him close to Danny until the man’s head rested on Danny’s shoulder. Neither man spoke a single word but the support they gave to one another was the best they could have provided at that moment.

Steve suddenly came back into the room and immediately said, “Where do you launch from?”

“Huh?”

“Where are you going for your mission briefing?”

“Pentagon.”

“Good. The Pentagon is in Virginia just across the Potomac River from DC. In DC same sex couples can marry – it’s legal and has been for some time. I’m going with you and we’re going to get married before you leave.”

John stared at Steve. “Are you proposing to me, you romantic devil you?”

Steve slowed down, took a breath, and dropped to one knee in from of John. “John, I’ve waited my whole life for you. You are the one. You are the only man I’ve loved in the way I love you. You have shown me a side of life I didn’t know. I’ve been more happy with you than I ever have been with anyone else in my entire life. You make me laugh, you make me watch stupid movies, you run with me, you love pineapple and good coffee, we have fan-fucking-tastic sex together. I could go on – the list of reasons would take hours to review. But I’ll sum it up. John, I love you. I don’t ever want to lose you. I cannot conceive of a life without you. John, will you marry me?”

With a somber face, John nodded his head and answered simply, “Yes, Steve. Yes, I will marry you.”

“Good. Pack a bag. We’re going to DC ASAP. Danny, can you come to be my Best Man?”

“Hey! Maybe I wanted him for my Best Man!”

“Guys! Hey! There’s enough of me to share. I’m one hell of a man – there’s plenty to go around. I’ll be Best Man for both of you.”

“Good. Danno, go pack. I’m gonna check on flights,” Steve said as he dashed for his laptop computer.

In five minutes Kono arrived, followed shortly thereafter by Chin. Danny briefed them quickly and quietly about the crisis and Steve’s unexpected proposal. Kono and Chin both wanted to go along but realized that they couldn’t all suddenly disappear on such a huge trip. Life on the island continued and their work couldn’t be put on hold, even if they went and came back as quickly as possible. It was still a ten hour flight each way with many hours of time change.

Kono had a solution, disappearing to her car for a moment. When she returned she handed Danny a very nice looking camera. “Here. This is my baby. Take good care of her and get pictures of everything. And I do mean everything. I want to see the ceremony. I want to see the kiss. I want to see their faces as they look at one another. I want to be able to feel that I was there. Can you do that for me, Danny?”

“I’ll try. This is more camera than I’m used to using but I will certainly try.”

“We’re booked on a midnight flight out of Honolulu. Not the time I would have preferred but I took what I could get. We need to get moving if we’re gonna make the flight.”

Chin suggested that he drive them to the airport so that Steve didn’t have to leave his car in long term parking for some undetermined amount of time (and expense). They swung by Danny’s place quickly so he could grab a couple of things, including his toothbrush and some clean underwear.

All too soon they were at the airport. While Steve and Danny said their good byes with Chin, John ran inside the airport to get the check-in started. Of course each man had to appear in person to show his photo ID, but otherwise check in was relatively easy.

Getting through security was more difficult because two of the three men were armed. They were finally through and into the long concourses from which areas branched off into separate areas branched off for boarding. Of course their flight was a large one on a large plane with a lot of people.

They had been running at such a quick pace that Danny didn’t really think about the implications of what they were doing until they arrived at the boarding area and saw the sea of humanity. Danny sighed, not looking forward to the cattle car experience for the next dozen hours.

Their timing was such that boarding was about to start. John grabbed his two traveling companions and ushered them through the crowd.

“John. Where are you going?” Steve asked, confused about what his partner was doing.

“Follow me,” was all he said.

John led them to a separate boarding area that did not have a line like the huge mass of people lined up for boarding in the economy cabin. John handed over the three boarding passes which were scanned with a smile and a welcome. John led them down the tunnel and into the front of the plane. John turned left to the second row of the first class cabin.

“Who wants the window?” he asked.

“John, what’s going on? I didn’t buy first class tickets. There’s some mistake.”

“No mistake. I upgraded us. It’s a long, long flight. You and I are both tall and getting our legs into an economy seat is cruel and unusual punishment. Danno could handle it since he has those little, short legs.”

“Hey!” he complained. “I’m not short. I thought we were clear that you two are just freakishly tall.”

“I don’t remember that,” John said, enjoying the momentary levity.

“You two sit together,” Danny said, grabbing the one seat across the aisle from them. Taking his seat, he sighed, “Oh, this is nice! I’ve never been in a first class seat before.”

“This is the way to travel, Danno,” John said from his seat on the aisle across from Danny.

“I’m always traveling with you in the future.” A moment later he looked up and said, “Hey, wait a minute. How much is this costing. I’m a lowly paid civil servant.”

“Don’t worry about it, Danny. It’s my treat.”

“That’s not fair.”

“Not a problem. I’ve got the money.”

Steve jumped into the conversation. “He’s rich, Danno.”

“You’re rich? When did this happen?”

“At birth.”

“You’ve always been rich? Why am I just hearing about this now?”

“I’ve never really thought much about it. I’ve spent most of the last decade living in places where it didn’t matter if you had lots of money or no money – there was no place to buy anything or spend anything. Over time it just became irrelevant.”

“And I bought your dinner for your first date? What’s wrong with that?”

“That was a very sweet thing for you to do, Danno, and I’ll never forget your kindness and thoughtfulness that night.”

“Thank you for buying me a first class ticket, John. I appreciate your thoughtfulness. I might even be able to sleep on this flight.”

Their conversation was interruption when a flight attendant announced that boarding was now complete and the main cabin door had been closed. He reminded everyone to take their seats for an immediate departure.

Their plane pushed back and was soon taxiing away from the gate for the long slow ride out to the active runway. When their turn arrived the powerful jet powered up and started their roll down the runway. In what seemed like too little time, the large, full, and heavy airplane was in the air and climbing.

As they passed through 10,000 feet above sea level the seat belt sign was turned off with the usual caveat that everyone was asked to keep their seat belts fastened while they were in their seats.

Some people reclined their seats and went to sleep but about half the cabin remained awake. Some people were on Honolulu time but others were on the time zone of their east coast destination where it was early in the morning.

Flight attendants began coming through the cabin offering drinks, snacks, or even a full dinner. Danny was terribly torn – he was exhausted but he also didn’t want to miss his first opportunity at a first class dinner. Finally, the decision was made for him when he fell asleep.

Sometime during the night someone reclined his seat, put a pillow under his head and covered him with a blanket.

 

 **Breakfast Over Boise**

Several hours later Danny awoke to find sunlight coming into the plane through the small cabin windows. Looking left he saw John asleep but Steve sitting up reading something on his iPad. Danny took advantage of the quiet to admire his two friends. Danny liked many things and disliked an equal number of things. One thing he disliked intensely was flying. It was not easy for him to get an airplane and was not something he did lightly or easily. It took a strong motivation for him to do this. As he looked at his two friends he once again thought of just how important the two men were to him. Steve was his boss and friend. With John in the picture he had a new friend – a really good new friend who did great things for his other friend. Increasing his friends by 100% produced more than a 200% return. Danny realized that he was in a rare position – few people ever got to experience what had unexpectedly fallen into his lap with John and Steve. Danny smiled.

Sensing that someone was looking at him, Steve looked up, spotted Danny and smiled over at the man. Steve unbuckled his seatbelt, stood and moved over to the empty seat next to Danny. Steve reached into his pocket, found whatever he was looking for, and held his closed hand out to Danny. Danny looked curiously at Steve but reached out to take whatever Steve was holding out for him.

When he looked, Danny found his friend had handed him a penny. Looking at both sides, Danny raised his eyebrows and said, “Ok. You need to explain.”

“A penny for your thoughts.”

Danny sighed and said, “I was just realizing how fortunate I am to have two friends like you two. Not only did you get a great partner but I got a new friend and he turned you into a really nice, responsible adult that I like – a little.”

“A little?”

“All right. Maybe a little more than a little.”

“I’m touched, Danno.”

“Ok. Don’t ever repeat this to anyone, but I wouldn’t get on an airplane without drugs or lots of alcohol for just anyone.”

“You don’t like to fly?”

“Like it? I hate it! Why anyone would willingly get on an airplane is completely beyond me. Always has been.”

“I never would have guessed. You doing ok now?”

Looking around the first class cabin, Danny said, “Not bad actually. This is the way everybody should fly. Of course I’ll probably never in my life be able to afford to do this ever again, but for the moment, yeah, I’m doing ok.”

Steve held out his hand to Danny who offered his hand as well. They shook hands in a friendly, supportive, affirming way – the best one can do while seated side by side on an airplane.

“Do you remember the first time we met?” Steve asked.

“Remember it? Of course I remember it. You’re the only man I talk to on a regular basis who tried to shoot me the first time we met.”

“It was mutual if I recall correctly.”

“Well, I’m glad no one got shot and that we got to know each other. And while we’re telling secrets, don’t tell anyone this either, but I’m really glad we’re friends. My life really sucked when we met. You ever repeat this and I’ll never forgive you, but you’re the best thing that ever happened to me.”

Steve kept his eyes cast downward, gently nodding his head. “Thanks,” he said softly. “That means a lot to me.”

"You’re welcome. Now, before we get ridiculously mushy here and try to do something stupid like hug or something like that, tell me what's happening once we land."

"I'm not entirely sure. I've got a few contacts I've never tapped for any favors and I'm already trying to reach them. After we took off I started sending some e-mails hoping to open a few doors and pull in a few favors. I've paid into the favor bank for a long time – it's time to make a withdrawal."

"Babe, if I knew anybody I'd be calling 'em for you, you know that. But I'm afraid I'm way out of my league on this one. I'll do whatever I can, but I don't know anybody who's anybody."

Both men had been so intent on their conversation that they hadn't realized that John had woken up. With them realizing, he had stood up and was now standing right beside Danny. "You two plotting the overthrow of the world over here or what?"

Danny involuntarily jumped a little in surprise. "Jeez, you scared the crap out of me!"

"Sorry, Danno. Didn't mean to surprise you. I'm not awake enough to surprise anybody right now."

Steve asked, "You get some good sleep, babe?"

"Yeah, I think so. I'll let you know when I finish." He excused himself and made his way forward to the restroom, which even in first class was terribly small. "Really," he thought, "would it be so terrible to make these things a few inches bigger?"

Mission accomplished John returned to his seat finding Steve back in his seat. "You awake now?"

"Most of the way," John responded.

A flight attendant had noticed the two men awake and approached them to ask if they were interested in breakfast. The idea was appealing to both and the food turned out to be surprising good for something that must have been prepared somewhere between 24 and 48 hours earlier.

Breakfast cleared away, John was staring out the plane window deep in thought. Whenever he flew he entered almost a zen-like state where he marveled at the wonder of flight. Even though he knew the equations and theories and explanations for how something the size of a small city got off the ground, into the air, and moved through the air at hundreds of miles per hour, it was still a mystical, magical experience for him.

As their jet pushed through the air at 37,000 feet at slightly over 500 miles per hour, he tried to determine their location. He had flown thousands of hours but most of those hours had been flown over foreign lands so that his knowledge of the United States geography was more or less equivalent to that of anyone who flew over the country occasionally – general, bordering on vague. As a pilot, of course, he would never admit to that short-coming even though there was a perfectly logical, reasonable explanation that was absolutely legitimate.

He was pulled from his revere when he felt Steve's hand come to rest on his own hand as it rested on the arm of his seat. He looked from the vista outside the cabin to the man seated beside him, lifting the fingers of his hand to entwine them with Steve's. Neither man said a word but through that simple gesture they spoke volumes – concern, support, affirmation, and a thousand other feelings and sensations.

Danny looked across the aisle at his two friends and internally sighed. He was a fairly tough guy who could hold his own in most situations, but this one was tearing him apart inside. Only by looking away was he able to hold himself together. Part of his vulnerability was likely due to his fatigue. Even though the man had slept for a few hours, it was not the same as sleeping a full eight hours at home in his own bed. His own bed might have been crap, but at least it was his own bed. It was comforting in its familiarity if nothing else.

He was tired but he knew that he couldn't sleep now. Bright sunlight was shining through the cabin windows and his mind was going faster than their jet. He knew sleep was a pipedream that would not be realized until far too many hours had passed, far too many emotions had been experienced, and far too much uncharted territory had been crossed. He worked very hard to throw up a shield around his emotions, around his vulnerability. His friends needed him. They didn't need to have him fall apart. They rarely asked for anything so he knew that now more than ever he needed to be strong for not only himself but also for them.

As he watched the two men sitting across the aisle, hands entwined in a simple gesture, he saw their fear, their uncertainty. They of course each wanted to be strong for the other so other neither of them said a word, but he knew that they knew one another well enough by now to communicate without uttering a single word.

 

 **Upright and Locked Position**

The remaining two hours of their flight passed with excruciating slowness for all three men. John had the additional burden borne by all pilots who flew as passengers – it just didn't feel natural to be seated away from the action, unable to see, to control, to maneuver.

One advantage of the many that came with sitting in the First Class cabin was that when the flight arrived at the airport gate, they were the first ones off the airplane. Steve had been in DC many times, John far fewer times, and Danny not at all. They were all on equal footing at first though in that none of them had flown into Dulles airport. When they had had occasion to fly in or through DC previously, John and Steve had both flown through one of the military facilities that surrounded the city.

With no checked luggage they were able to make their way to the main terminal and outside into a waiting taxi. When they had left Honolulu the previous night the air temperature had been a perfectly reasonable 77 degrees. Even though they should have realized that the air temperature in DC in December was going to be cooler, they all found the outside air bracing.

None of the men had worn a jacket and of the three only Danny wore a long-sleeved shirt. Steve and John were both dressed in t-shirts. At least all three wore long pants and shoes (as opposed to sandals). Inside their cab they sat quietly together in the back seat as they made the long half hour drive into the city. Danny wondered why in the world anyone had built a major airport so far from the city but kept his questions to himself.

"Are we going straight to the Pentagon?" he asked Steve.

"After 9/11 no one just shows up at the Pentagon. We need to be invited into the areas where we need to go. I sent some e-mails after we got on the plane but since it was the middle of the night I haven’t gotten answers back from anyone yet. So, we're going to a hotel to wait."

Steve had asked the cab driver if he could recommend a nice hotel in DC that had nice views. After getting an answer to his question about how much they were willing to spend, the man drove them to the Hay-Adams Hotel at the corner of H and 16th Streets. When they saw the location they decided that the view wasn't too bad – their closest neighbor just a block away was the White House.

When they arrived, John went up to the registration desk and inquired about getting a comfortable suite, laying his gold card on the counter. Had Danny been paying closer attention he would have gone into shock at John paying $2,000 a night for a suite for the three of them, but fortunately Steve and Danny were busy checking out the beautify lobby and the well-dressed people scattered around the lobby.

"I feel under-dressed," Danny commented.

"And grubby."

"I wasn't gonna say anything, but you do need a shower."

Steve smiled at Danny and said, "Back atcha, babe."

"We're all set," John said, handing each man a keycard even though they were all staying in the same suite that only had one main door. A bellman guided them to the elevator and escorted them to their room.

The bellman opened the door and then held the door so that the three men could enter the room. Danny and Steve both looked around a stunning room at the sofas, windows that offered a breath-taking view of the White House across Lafayette Park, and a large dining room table, among other things. The bellman showed them the two bedrooms to the suite, the bathrooms, the kitchen, their in-suite ice maker, refrigerator stocked with sodas, and more amenities than Danny knew were possible.

When the man was gone, Danny said, "This place is bigger than my apartment."

"Everything is bigger than that closet you live in, Danno," John said.

"I'll have you know that that 'closet' has 450 square feet."

"This is bigger," Steve said in agreement. "Do I want to ask …?" Steve started, intending to ask how much the room was costing per day.

"No," John said immediately and without explanation.

Looking out one of the windows, Danny said, "When I went on my honeymoon, I spent $200 a night and that place was nice. This place, this is beyond belief."

"It's a little more than $200 a night, Danno."

"How much more?"

"Add a zero and you'll be closer."

"Holy sweet baby Jesus!"

"Don't think about it, Danno. Go take a shower and wash a little of the road grime off your body."

"I think I will," he said, not wanting to think about the cost of the room they were in at the moment.

Shedding his clothes in the bedroom he stepped into a gorgeous bathroom with a shower that did things for him that his ex-wife hadn't been able to do in all the years of their marriage. After 20 minutes he was mellow and was trying to think of ways to spend the rest of his adult life in this shower.

His melding with the shower was interrupted by John's voice a few feet away. "Danno! You ok in there? You're gonna get all wrinkled and start to shrink if you don't come out soon, and trust me, dude, you can't afford to get any smaller."

Opening the door to the shower Danny splashed a handful of water at the commentator. John laughed and somehow managed to dodge most of the water.

With great regret, Danny turned off the water to the best shower he had ever experienced and reached out for a towel. He was surprised to find John wrapped in a bathrobe still standing in the bathroom, holding a towel out for him to use.

"You trying to give me a heart attack, John?"

"Nope. Just sneaking a little peak."

Never a man to back down from a challenge, Danny shoved the shower door all the way open, stepped out and put his hands in the air, legs spread apart. "Well, here it is! Take a good look! Want the back view, too?" he said turning around, instantly regretting the move when he heard an appreciative whistle.

"Nice butt, Danno!"

Grabbing a towel to cover himself, Danny yelled, "Steven! Come get your boyfriend! He's bothering me!" John laughed as he turned and left Danny to towel dry.

Danny really didn't want to put his clothes back on. He had worn them for a full day of work in the moist Hawaiian heat followed by sleeping in them and traveling all night in them. The thought of putting them back on at the moment was less than appealing – not, actually that was putting it too mildly. The thought was repulsive. He found a big, plush bathrobe hanging in the bedroom closet and decided to slip that on as a much better alternative. He had seen John wearing one just moments ago, guessing that the man had reached the same conclusion.

Sauntering – what? It's a word! – into the living room Danny found John sitting on one of the sofas perusing the room service menu. Still dressed, Steve was stretched out full length on one of the other sofas and appeared to be sound asleep. Aside from needing a shave, the man looked none the worse for wear.

Sliding the menu across the coffee table toward him, John asked, "I'm getting something to eat? What do you want?"

Danny glanced, very taken with the idea of eating something. His poor, confused body didn't have a clue what time it was back home so he didn't know if he should be eating breakfast, lunch, dinner, or midnight snack, but he knew that one of those sounded like a reasonable idea.

When his eye fell on the price of an item that sounded good he involuntarily gasped.

"Don't look at the prices, Danno," John said in anticipation of his comment.

"How can I not! No sane person can afford that! I can't afford anything on this menu! I can't …"

"You're my guest. I've got this trip. You can buy breakfast on the next trip."

He wanted to argue but his mind just couldn't construct a logical argument so he simply said, "Thank you."

"You're welcome."

"What do you want?" John asked again.

Danny named something that was the lowest priced item on the menu even though it wasn't remotely what he really wanted. John knew exactly what the man was doing and also knew him well enough to know what he really wanted. When he called Room Service to place the order John went ahead and ordered what he knew Danny would have ordered had he not seen the prices.

The prices were ridiculous – there was no disputing that; it was just a fact. But how often did they visit this hotel or this city or stay in any hotel for that matter? Rarely. In fact, since meeting Steve neither of them had had any need to travel so they hadn't been anywhere but Steve's house in Honolulu.

John had more than enough money, not only because he had inherited a boatload of money but also because he never spent any of what he had. For a combination of the two reasons he didn't hesitate to spend a little now. He didn't think that he would ever get to the point where he could spend money just to spend it, but right here, right now, for his friends, he would have done anything.

A few minutes after placing the order they heard a knock at the door. Steve was still sound asleep but Danny and John looked at one another. "No way!" Danny observed. "Not even a pizza delivery guy could have made it here with the food already."

John opened the door, not at all surprised to find a hotel butler who's task was to set up their dining room for their breakfast. Danny stared as the man set to work, but didn't say a word. This was all new to him since this was not the circle in which he lived.

By the time he had finished setting up the table there was another knock at the door. The butler admitted a finely dressed waiter pushing a travel of juices, coffees, and tea.

"Sir? May I offer you orange juice? Pineapple juice? Apple juice? I also have freshly brewed Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee and a variety of the finest English breakfast teas."

John had the pineapple juice which elicited the predictable response from Danny. He skipped the juice and opted instead for the coffee. He started to get up to get the coffee when John quietly gestured for him to sit back down. A moment later the waiter presented him with a cup on a silver tray into which he poured coffee which smelled heavenly. After offering sweeteners and a variety of dairy products for his coffee – all of which Danny refused – the waiter stepped back to the side to discretely wait until his guests needed something further.

"So, is this the way you always travel?" Danny asked John, honestly curious.

"Hardly. I've spent twenty years traveling on old, slow, crowded cargo planes and sleeping in tents or on floors. I like this better than that."

"I can see why," he agreed. "Do you think we should wake Sleeping Beauty so he can partake?"

"No. He's exhausted. I don't think he slept on the plane. Let him sleep for now. He can eat when he wakes up."

Though neither of them heard another knock at the door, another man had arrived in their dining room. Their butler invited them to move to the table and proceeded to serve them their breakfast.

"Oh, wow!" Danny said after taking one bite. "These pancakes are awesome! And this syrup! Wow!"

"I'm glad you find it satisfactory sir. The syrup is from a small farm in northern New York that has been successfully making maple syrup for more than 100 years."

Danny didn't know how one should respond to a statement like that, or to the fact that the man serving him breakfast knew that fact. He decided to simply take another bite, nodding his head.

A change in subjects seemed in order. "So, what's the first order of business?" Danny asked.

Suddenly a voice from the sofa answered very clearly, "We go get our Marriage License."

"Hey! I thought you were sleeping."

"I was, but then I was thinking, and listening to you two."

"Spying on us?" John asked jokingly.

"Someone has to keep an eye on you two!" Steve responded.

Steve rose from his place on the couch, grabbed his ever-present iPad and moved to the table to join John and Danny. The waiter immediately offered him coffee, tea, or juice.

Using the Internet connectivity and browser on the iPad, Steve very quickly had the information he needed. "Ok. The Marriage Bureau Section of the Family Court issues marriage licenses and minister authorizations for marriages performed in the District of Columbia." He paused, and then continued reading, "Pursuant to the Religious Freedom and Civil Marriage Equality Amendment Act of 2009, L18-110, effective March 3, 2010, same sex couples may apply for marriage licenses in the District of Columbia."

"Ok," Danny said, "Where? When?"

"They're open Monday through Friday from 8:30 am to 5:00 pm and they're located at 500 Indiana Avenue, NW, Room 4485. Looks like we need to file out an application of some sort, show proof of age, pay a $35 fee … crap, then wait. "By law, three full days must pass between the day of application to the day that the license can be issued. The fee payment is required to pick up the license. Marriage licenses are not issued by mail."

"Three days. We can do that," Danny said, "can't we?"

"We have to," was Steve's only observation.

"Then what?" Danny asked.

"Oh crap!"

"What now?" John asked.

"I thought we could just get married there at the courthouse, but on their website it says, 'The civil wedding calendar is generally booked 2 to 3 weeks in advance.' We might be able to pull off three days but three weeks – no way. John could be dead by then."

"Ok," said Danny, taking charge. "So here's what we do. We go get the license ASAP, immediately, NOW, and then we come back here and I talk to the Concierge about alternatives for getting married. Men have been getting married here for more than a year so I'm sure others have dealt with the same issue. I'll find the alternatives that I know exist."

"Good idea," John said. "Steve, go shower. Danno, let's get dressed so that when he's finished we're ready to roll. We'll get a cab over the Courthouse and get step one completed."

Ten minutes later the three men were out the door and into a cab on their way to the Courthouse. When the cold air hit them as they stepped outside, each man made a mental note to add buying a jacket or at least a sweatshirt or sweater to their agenda for the day. The cab ride to the Court house was not long and fortunately city traffic wasn't too bad. Security again proved a little challenging since two of the three men were armed but their badges and credentials quickly resolved any difficulty.

Escalators, escalators, and more escalators to get to the fourth floor. The Marriage Bureau was buried back in a distant corner of the building. Despite the signage a couple of times they thought they had taken a wrong turn so they were relieved to finally find the place. With only one other person at the counter they were quickly welcomed and provided with the necessary one page form. Sitting together in the cramped waiting room they completed the application and handed it back to the clerk.

She explained the 3 day waiting period.

"Is there any way to rush that?" Steve asked. "He's about to be deployed into combat and we want to be married before he leaves."

"I'm sorry, sir. I wish I could help, but three day waiting period is a legal requirement."

Danny had watched this from the sidelines. He finally knew something he could do to help. Pulling out his cell phone he speed dialed the governor's office. He didn't need to talk to the governor – he had quietly and carefully over time cultivated multiple friendships with the governor's staff. He learned birthdays, sent cards, asked about their children (or their cheating husbands) and had quickly built up a solid network. He never had tested that network but he decided now was the time to try.

"Delia? Danny. No, I'm in DC. Long story. I'll tell you when I get back. Fucking freezing, let me tell you. And none of us have coats. I need your help. I'm here with Steve and John. They're gonna get married. They've applied for the marriage license but they found out there's a three day waiting period before the license can be issued. Problem is John's about to be deployed into a combat situation and they don't have three days. Right. John. Yeah! That's the one. I know. Tall. Uh hum. I'm not commenting on that! Do you think someone from there can call the governor here …" Turning to the clerk Danny said, "Does DC have a governor?"

"No. A mayor."

"That's the senior most elected official?"

"That would be him."

"Got his phone number?"

The clerk looked in a directory and wrote down a number for Danny who in turn read the number to the voice at the other end of the cell phone.

"Ok," the voice on the phone answered, "give me a few minutes and I'll see what we can do. Take care of yourself, Danny. See you when you get back."

"Thanks, babe."

"Danno? What are you doing?"

"I was just making a phone call. It may not work, but I pulled in a favor to see if we can cut the waiting time down a little."

John and Steve both smiled at Danny but didn't say anything. Instead they pulled the man into a quick three-way hug. They were to the cashier's office to pay their $35 fee and then returned to the first office to see if the governor's office had been able to cut through some red tape for them.

The clerk greeted them with a smile. "Gentlemen. My boss has received a request from the Mayor that we issue your license ASAP. I have your license right here."

"Thank you so much. I can't tell you how much we appreciate your help. Do you have any recommendations on who we can get to marry us on such short notice?" he asked the clerk.

"I see a number of licenses coming back signed by ministers from this place." She wrote a name and general area onto a sticky note and handed it over to the men. "You might want to check with them."

Steve gave her one of his million dollar smiles and thanked her profusely, assuring her that they would be back first thing in the morning.

Out the door and into another cab, giving the driving the name of the church they wanted and explaining that they didn't have an address.

"No problem. Is well known place. Very old. Been there for hundreds of years. Everyone knows."

Their cab dropped them off in front of a stately church in the oldest part of the city which dated back to the Colonial days. The sign in front identified the place as dating back to the mid-1700's. Partly because they were anxious and partly because they were freezing, they climbed the few steps that led from the sidewalk up to the church's front door. They were a bit surprised to find the doors unlocked and open. With the doors closed to keep the winter chill out, they looked around.

They appeared to be in an entry hall of some sort with two large staircases leading upstairs, one to the left and one to the right. "Might as well take a look," Steve said, leading the three men up the stairs and into a simple but beautiful sanctuary with the pews arranged in a semi-circle.

The first thing that caught one's eye was the huge, old bank of pipes for the organ that dominated the central part of the front wall of the room. The place was old, definitely old, but it was stately. The room was filled with incredible stained glass windows that did not appear to have been installed anytime recently.

Proceeding into the Sanctuary, they became aware of how large a room they were in. The ceiling was easily 40 feet high in the central part of the room. More stairs led to an even higher balcony.

"Bigger than it looks from the street," Danny observed.

"Steve," John said, looking at his partner, "I haven't exactly been a regular at any sort of organized religious thing in – well, ever. They may not want to talk to me."

"I haven't been to such things, either. But we've got Danno. He can charm anyone."

And it was just at that moment that he received his opportunity.

"Good afternoon, gentlemen," they heard. Turning, Danny, who was closest, saw the man first. Exuding friendliness, Danny walked toward him, stuck out his hand, smiled, and said, "Good afternoon. Are you the minister?"

"Yes, I'm one of them," the man said nodding. What Danny really wanted to ask was, "Are you old enough?" but he held his tongue and instead said, "We have a bit of a problem and we need your help. Well, not 'we' but they," he said, pointing to John and Steve.

"These are my best friends, John and Steve."

"We're your best friend, Danno?" Steve asked.

"Of course we are," John said to Steve.

"Why? Did we draw the short end of the stick?"

John elbowed his boyfriend and gave him a withering look that said basically, "Time and place," which translated into "There is a time and place for everything and this is not the time nor the place for comments like that." Steve got the message and shut up.

"You have to excuse them – they're really just teenagers at heart."

The man smiled and nodded his head.

"How may I help you?"

"My two best friends are partners – boyfriends. And trust me, they are so perfectly suited for one another it is scary. Neither one of them is … well, let's just say that they're really good for each other. They ground one another, they calm one another. They laugh together, they cry together, they keep me company, and have made my life a whole lot better than I thought it could possibly be at this stage of my life."

The minister crossed his arms and paid rapt attention to Danny's eloquent build up.

Danny took a deep breath and said, "They are both retired military. Steve was a Commander – a Navy SEAL. John was a Colonel in the Air Force. They both spent the bulk of their adult lives doing things we can't do for ourselves. We probably couldn't sleep well ever again if we knew the details of the risky, dangerous situations they've been in over the years."

"Thank you both for your service. I personally am grateful for your sacrifices and appreciate the safety and security we have due to the efforts of men such as yourselves.

Danny sighed, "John's been unexpectedly reactivated. He's being sent into … he's being sent into … a really dangerous situation … really dangerous. There is a chance," he paused, closed his eyes and fought to get his emotions in check. "There is a strong chance he will not make it back to us."

He took another deep breath and said, "And they want to get married before John leaves tonight. We've got the license. And like I said, trust me – they are perfectly suited for one another. I'll swear to that. I'm their Best Man." Putting his best desperate, wounded puppy dog face on, Danny looked at the man and said, "Can you please marry them? Please?"

The man looked at Danny with a perfectly neutral poker face, quiet for a moment, before giving his answer. "I would be delighted to marry them. Now, I have to tell you that we usually require couples to meet with one of the ministers for some pre-marital counseling, to discuss the decision to marry, to work out the details of the ceremony, and to get to know one another a bit. But given the tight time frame you described, I think we can make a few modifications to protocol in this situation."

Danny cheered and threw his arms around the startled man, hugging him and lifting his off the ground. Steve and John were doing a modified version of that between themselves a few feet away. When Danny had set the man back onto the floor, he joined them in joyous laughter. "It's not often I can make people this happy. I like it!"

John and Steve both shook the man's hand and thanked him profusely.

"If you can give me a few minutes, I need to go downstairs and get a couple of things. I assume you want to do this now."

"Yes, please."

"I'll be back in just a moment," he said as he disappeared into one of the stairwells.

"Do you think he's old enough to be out this late?" Steve asked.

"I know!" Danny whispered. "That's what I thought, too."

"I'm guessing he's about 25, 26 years old," John volunteered.

"No way!" Steve said. "Twenty-three tops."

"While you two argue," Danny said, "I should take Kono's camera and get some pictures. She will kill me if I take this all the way back to her in Hawaii empty."

Danny moved around the room snapping pictures of his friends as he tried to get comfortable with the camera.

"Danno," John said. "Can you get a few with this one, too?" he said, holding up a smaller pocket sized camera that looked a lot more suited to Danny's photographic talent and skill-level."

"Sure thing," he said taking the camera and quickly getting it turned on and sorted out. He got a couple of Steve and John standing together near the altar of the church, looking at one another with a mixture of joy and trepidation. As he snapped some more pictures with both cameras, Danny couldn't help but think of how terrifying this whole thing must be for both of his friends.

When he ran out of casual, informal shots he could take, Danny started directing the two men into a couple of poses that worked well.

Their photography session was interrupted by the return of the minister, this time changed from sweater and blue jeans into a floor-length black robe complete with clerical stoll. "Wow!" Danny said. "Quick transformation."

"You ask, I deliver," he responded. Danny noticed that he had another man with him who looked to be somewhere in his mid-20's. "We need to have two witnesses so I've asked one of my colleagues to join us. Is that all right with you?"

"Of course," Danny said.

"Do you have the license?"

Steve handed over the license and waited silently while the minister quickly checked it over. "Very good," he said. "How about some introductions first. Who is John and who is Steve?"

"I'm Steve," Steve said offering his hand.

"I'm John," the other man offered.

"A pleasure to meet both of you gentlemen. According to the license you live a fair distance away from us."

"Yes, we're all from Hawaii. Well, we all live there now. I'm the only one who was actually born there. John is from California. And Danno, well, Danno is …" he looked at Danny, "… from New Jersey."

"Me, too," the minister said with a smile.

"You're kidding!" Danny said with great gusto. The two men started talking about where they had lived and grown up.

"I hate to interrupt," John said, "but I'm unfortunately on a fairly tight timetable. Appointment with impending death and all that," he added, trying to be light, which didn't work.

"Of course," the minister apologized. "Let's get this show on the road, so to speak." He directed everyone to walk toward the altar where he positioned the participants before taking his place in front of them.

"Friends, we are gathered together here in the sight of God and man to witness and bless the joining together of Steve and John in marriage. The covenant of marriage was established by God who created us for one another. With his presence and power Jesus graced a wedding at Cana of Galilee, and in his sacrificial love gave us the example for the love of those who covenant together in marriage. John and Steve come to give themselves to one another in this holy covenant.

"John and Steve, I ask you now in the presence of God and these friends, to declare your intention to enter into union with one another. Steve, will you have John to be your husband, to live together in marriage? Will you love him, comfort him, honor and keep him, in sickness and in health, and forsaking all others, be faithful to him as long as you both shall live? If so, say 'I will.'"

"I will."

"John, will you have Steve to be your husband, to live together in marriage? Will you love him, comfort him, honor and keep him, in sickness and in health, and forsaking all others, be faithful to him as long as you both shall live? If so, say 'I will.'"

"I will."

"And you, Danny, will you, by God's grace, do everything in your power to uphold and care for these two persons in their marriage? If so, say 'I will'."

"I will," Danny said proudly.

"Let us pray. O God, source of infinite love, bless us with a sense of your presence in this sacred time. Keep us sensitive to the wonder of things that give meaning to life. Deepen our loving for those who we know and for those who, though strangers, need our care. And so we gather with John and Steve to celebrate the beginning of a new part of their journey and we give you thanks. Amen"

The minister handed a card to both John and Steve, and invited John first to read the words printed on the card. "I take you to be no other than who you are. Loving what I know of you and trusting what I don't yet know, with respect for your integrity and faith in your abiding love for me. You will know the full joy of love and friendship. In all that life may bring us."

John smiled proudly and confidently, and then repeated the vows as led by the minister.

"I, John, take you, Steve,  
to be my husband,  
to have and to hold,  
from this day forward,  
for better, for worse,  
for richer, for poorer,  
In sickness and in health,  
To love and to cherish,  
As long as we both shall live."

When it was Steve's turn, he read the same introductory words. "I take you to be no other than who you are. Loving what I know of you and trusting what I don't yet know, with respect for your integrity and faith in your abiding love for me. You will know the full joy of love and friendship. In all that life may bring us,

"I, Steve, take you, John,  
to be my husband,  
to have and to hold,  
from this day forward,  
for better, for worse,  
for richer, for poorer,  
In sickness and in health,  
To love and to cherish,  
As long as we both shall live."

"Gentlemen, are you exchanging rings?"

"Not at this time," Steve said simply. "Later."

"No problem. Then, John and Steve, you have declared your consent and vows before God and your friend, Danny. May God confirm your covenant and fill you both with grace. We rejoice with you. We celebrate your marriage with you. It gives me great pleasure to announce that you are now married under law and through love. I now pronounce you husband and husband. You may kiss."

Steve looked intently at John who simply stared back at him. "We really did it, didn't we?"

"You bet your hot little butt we did," Steve whispered as he moved in to give his husband a quick kiss.

In a deep voice that seemed too large for the body that spoke, the minister said, "Oh, come on! Is that the best you can do? We want to see a kiss!"

John and Steve both laughed and tried the kiss again, a bit more relaxed this time, following what came naturally for them.

The minister said, "John and Steve, go forth from this place together with the grace and peace of God now and always."

Moving a few steps away, he said, "I see some cameras here, so why don't you hand them over so we can get some pictures of all three of you."

The minister clearly knew what he was doing with a camera, immediately putting the devices to work doing what they were intended to do. When Danny looked at some of the initial shots he was truly impressed. "You're pretty good at that," he said. "But I shouldn't be surprised. You are from the holy land after all."

"I've never heard New Jersey called the holy land before."

"You've never tried living 5,000 miles away from it either, have you?"

"Nope. Can't say that I have."

"Trust me. Don't."

The minister escorted the party to the back of the church where he signed their marriage license and invited both witnesses to affix their signatures as well. "This needs to go back to the Court Clerk. I can mail it in tomorrow morning or you can take it back to them and pick up your Marriage Certificate. Otherwise they can mail it to you."

Checking his watch, Steve saw that the Court would still be open so he suggested that they head back immediately to complete the final step in the process. With profuse thanks, the three men departed as quickly as they had arrived. As the minister waved at the retreating cab he silently wished them well and was grateful that he did not have to endure what they faced in the days ahead.

 

Despite heavy traffic, their cab dropped them off at the door to the Court House in time for them to make it inside and complete the last stage of the process with time to spare. A half hour later they walked out of the Court House with several copies of the officially signed and sealed Certification of Marriage in their hand.

Out on the street, Danny had the two stand together once again holding up the papers and smiling so that he could get some pictures. If it had been warmer they would have taken more, but it wasn't warm so they simply jumped into another cab and went back to their hotel.

 

 **Check-In**

At the hotel, Danny told the men to go on up to the room while he stayed down in the lobby bar. "You need a few minutes together."

Neither of his traveling companions spoke but both knew he was giving them time alone to say their goodbyes. There wasn't time enough to consummate their relationship, and besides, they had already done that a few hundred times. The piece of paper didn't change who they were or how they had sex.

Thirty minutes passed before John and Steve joined Danny in the bar. "It's time, Danno."

"Let's roll."

In the thick of rush hour traffic, their cab crept along the crowded city streets. When they finally made it onto the bridge across the Potomac River there was finally some movement as the road widened and the traffic could spread out a bit.

Their cab driver didn't know his way around the Pentagon so Steve guided him to the entrance that they needed. Danny paid the man and they sent him on his way.

Steve held tightly to John's hand, hoping that if he held on tightly enough he would never have to let it go. Inside the building they went through layer after layer of security screening but each time were admitted to one more ring deeper inside the Inner Sanctum.

When not being scanned or scrutinized by some machine, John and Steve held tightly to one another, walking hand in hand with Danny following closely behind them. After twenty minutes of walking inside the Pentagon they finally arrived at the room they needed. Inside they found a uniformed clerk sitting behind a desk.

"May I help you?"

John identified himself.

"We've been expecting you, Colonel."

When the man looked questioning at Steve, John said simply, "This is my husband, Commander McGarrett."

The man's face was a neutral mask. He said nothing. He revealed nothing. John used the quiet to add, "I need you to put in my record that Steve is my next-of-kin and is the one who should be notified of my status. All communications related to me should go to him. I've already listed him as my beneficiary on my retirement and life insurance. I just need you to add him as my husband for official contact purposes. Here's a copy of our Marriage License if you need that." They had spent the extra money to get an extra copy of the Marriage License at the Court House so that they could prove their status before the law. It was a non-negotiable part of this that Steve had to be the one who was to receive notification of John's status.

The clerk took the paper and invited the men to take a seat in the three thin, uncomfortable chairs against one wall of the room. They all took a seat but Steve was unable to sit still. He paced, tons of nervous energy needing to go somewhere into some physical activity.

"Didn't you ever have to lay in wait on some of your super secret missions, waiting for just the right moment to pounce?"

"Sure," he answered.

"How did you do that if you can't even sit still for five minutes?"

"Easy. The stakes were never as high as they are right now." John looked up at Steve and held out his hand. Steve returned to sit next to John, holding his hand tightly.

After fifteen minutes it was Danny's turn to stand up and move around. After thirty minutes Steve was a cross between numbness and fatigue. After forty-five minutes John's calm exterior was showing signs of cracks. After fifty-five minutes the door opened and a different man entered the room, quickly taking in the men who all quickly stood before him.

The man held out a paper to John and simply said, "Colonel, your services are no longer required. Your country thanks you for your willingness to serve." John looked at the paper and saw that it was his Marriage License.

Words failed him for a moment. "What happened? Did you get them out?"

"I can't discuss such matters with anyone, Colonel. We are sorry for any inconvenience you might have experienced."

"Excuse me?" Steve said in disbelief. "We flew 5,000 miles – at our own expense – and now you tell us, what? That we can go home? Just like that?"

"Yes."

"Oh, I see," Steve said.

"Steve!" Danny said, reading the body language of his coworker.

"I must return to my duties, gentlemen. There is someone outside the door to escort you back out. I know this place can feel like a maze." As quick as he arrived the man was gone.

"Let's go home," Danny said simply. "All three of us. Let's go home."

They followed their guide back out, a faster trip since this time they didn't have to provide identification and wait for various scanning devices to do their job. It was easy to get a cab outside the door. Danny gave the address and appreciated the fact that this time they were going counter to the traffic so the trip was must faster.

Both Steve and John were silent the entire way back to the hotel and then in the elevator up to their room. When the door was finally closed and the world shut out for a few minutes, Danny asked, "Ok. So what happened back there?"

"You got a glimpse of the bigotry of the United States military, my friend."

"You're kidding. Don't get me wrong. I'm more grateful than I can ever explain that you're here with us and not off somewhere doing God knows what. I'm not complaining by any stretch of the imagination. But I thought Don't Ask, Don't Tell was overturned."

"The law might have changed," Steve explained, "but you can't legislate a change in the mindset of those entrenched in simply maintaining what they've known. No one can present any evidence – none – that shows that having gay men and women in the armed forces is detrimental to morale or unit cohesion or any of the other bullshit they spout off about. They can't do it because it doesn't exist. The Pentagon has known for nearly 60 years that there is not one wit of truth to those beliefs. Since the 1950's people have been pushing for them to face facts, but for 60 years the old boys have held their ground. And just because the President signed a piece of paper doesn't mean that anything is going to change today or tomorrow. Don't get me wrong, it will change, but it's going to take some time. We'll get there but it will not be a smooth, easy trip. And today I'm so torn. I hate bigotry. It's stupid. It's fear. Nothing more. But tonight I'm grateful for it in this situation."

Danny noticed that John had sat quietly on the sofa listening to his husband talk. Turning his attention to the man, Danny asked simply, "How you doing, John?"

"Been better. Been worse. I'm pissed. I'm relieved. I'm sad. But mostly I think right now I'm going to focus on the positive, be grateful for the greatest gift a man can have," he said, squeezing Steve's hand in his own, "and get back to building a new life."

"I knew there was a reason I liked you!" Danny said in response. "Now, let's get cleaned up as best we can and go downstairs and get some dinner. And then let's get to bed. God alone knows what time it is back home."

Steve smiled. "You did it again, Danno. You called Hawaii 'home'. I'm so proud of you."

"Bite me, big boy!"

"No, actually, I'd rather not. Let's go eat."

A world of possibilities existed outside the doors of their hotel. Washington, DC was a vibrant, alive city that offered some spectacular restaurants to satisfy locals and at the same time pry a few more dollars out of the hands of the hundreds of thousands of tourists who trooped through the city every year. Except for the simple fact that it was December, the sun was down, and the three men had not had time to acquire anything warmer to wear. In other words, they would have frozen their nipples off by going outside to one of the many restaurants. The day had been one of unbelievable highs and mind-numbing lows. They were all exhausted, jet lagged, and emotionally used up. All they wanted was food and then warm beds and comfortable pillows not that far away.

For once Danny did his best to ignore the prices. It also helped that the prices were less ridiculous than the room service prices had been. Within an hour they were fed, watered, and safely tucked back inside their suite. Danny collapsed onto one of the sofas and realized that he was too fried to even figure out if he should turn on the television.

"Go to bed, Danno," John said. "We're calling it a day."

"Any idea what time it is?" Danny asked.

"Not a clue. Half past too bed time."

Danny stood and found John standing in his path. Before he knew what was happening, the man's arms reached around him and embraced him in a hug. A moment later he said two simple words. "Thank you." They parted and all three went to bed.

Shedding his clothes, Danny fell into bed. Before turning off his light he grabbed his cell phone and sent a simple text to Chin an Kono: "All well. 3 of us will be coming home together. Great day. Lots to tell later."

He set the device aside, turned off his light, and promptly fell asleep.

 

 **To Tour or Not to Tour – That is the Question**

The next day all three men crawled out of bed just before noon feeling remarkably refreshed and alive once again. It was truly remarkable what a night of sleep could do for the human body and mind.

Over coffee once again served by their own personal butler Danny asked the obvious. "So what now? Do we go home? Do we stay here and do something? Do we buy jackets?"

"DC is an amazing city," Steve observed. "But in all honesty, at the moment I have no interest in anything but going home."

"I second that motion," John said.

"I third that motion," Danny said. "When can we leave?"

John picked up the phone beside the sofa, called the Concierge and told him what he wanted. Within five minutes the Concierge had their return flight arranged. "Ready to hit the road, gentlemen? Our chariot awaits."

"I don't know," Steve joked. "I may not be able to pack that quickly." Thirty seconds later he had been into the bedroom and returned with his backpack slung over his shoulder. "All ready."

The laughter they shared was refreshing. Check-out was a breeze. The cab ride to the airport was long but uneventful. Airline ticketing was easy. Airport security was the usual hurry up and wait. Their flight was on time and their timing was impeccable so they arrived at the gate just in time to walk onboard their plane and take their first class seats.

Just before the plane door was closed, Danny texted home with their flight details, telling everyone when their flight was scheduled to arrive in Honolulu. Somehow Steve had again managed to get them onto a non-stop flight to Honolulu. There weren't that many such flights. So close to the holidays everyone was trying to get out of town to start their winter breaks. Those who had lived with the cold, dark fall and early winter in Washington were ready for a bit of sun and fun, so every seat on the large plane was full. For about the millionth time Danny quietly reflected on how grateful he was to not be seated in the back with the passengers; he much preferred life up front with the leg-room class.

While their flight out had been mostly overnight, this flight departed during the afternoon and chased the sun westward providing bright light the entire way. All three men had slept well the previous night so none of them were particularly sleepy. As a result, everyone was awake to enjoy some of the food service and pampering offered to those who flew up front. For the million and first time, Danny quietly reflected on how grateful he was to be seated where he was.

When people fly and spend hours seated in one location, it seems a natural thing for them to doze off, to sleep. Following the many courses of lunch, which was topped off with a to-die-for dessert crepe topped with strawberries, Danny put his head back. Had he been able, he would have purred in complete and utter satisfaction.

Glancing to his left he saw his two best friends, content simply to be sitting in one another's company. The flight attendants had taken excellent care of him, even bringing a bowl of vanilla ice cream when he saw someone else having that for dessert. The flight path that day featured mostly smooth skies all the way. Combine those elements and you find it's easy to fall asleep. And that is exactly what Danny did.

Steve wasn't far behind, having consumed more rich food in one sitting than was customary for him. Also, neither he nor John had been able to run for a couple of days. He too found sleep luring him away. John remained awake. As a pilot he just naturally found flying to be stimulating.

Had the world been in a different time and place he would have asked to visit the cockpit, maybe sit in the Jump Seat. Sadly, those days were long gone. Cockpits on commercial planes were now "hardened" to protect the cockpit from trouble. The world had changed so much in the years John had been away, so for the better but much of it for the worse. When did bullies decide to take out their crazy aggression on hundreds, thousands of innocent bystanders?

John found the actions of the terrorists of the world to be the actions of cowards. Real men didn't skulk around and get women and children to blow themselves up. Real men would just fight it out and be done with it. Well, actually, no – not so much. If it really worked that way the world wouldn't have been quite so war-ridden for most of modern history.

John sighed and tried to stop being so philosophical. The sight of a peaceful, sleeping Steve seated next to him was comforting and served to wipe away all the thoughts about terrorists and bombings and craziness. Steve's mouth was slightly open. The muscles of his face were all relaxed. There were no stress lines around his eyes like he got when working a tough case. When he slept, Steve looked at peace – and adorably cute. Well, maybe cute was the wrong word – handsome sure worked, though.

Reaching for his iPad, John sat back in his seat and tried reading to pass the time. The flight was comfortable but it was still a 10 hour flight which taxed everyone's butt, bladders, and boredom limits. The airline offered the usual array of smaltzy romance movies as well as a couple of what he called "talking dog" movies aimed at a very general audience.

Bored with what he was reading, John's mind was going faster than the plane on which he sat. Thoughts raced around in his mind. Ideas bounced off one another, creating a flurry of activity.

He had never used it before, but he accessed the word processing software on his iPad and typed in a single sentence. He thought for just a moment and was able to capture one of those ideas bouncing in his head. Smiling, he typed another sentence, and another, and then more.

Over the next two hours John sat quietly typing away on the iPad's on-screen keyboard. He had not intended to write a story, but found that that was exactly what he was doing. John was writing an adventure story, a love story, a story with romance, a story with hot, steamy sex, a story with real people who had depth and character.

John became so engaged in his writing that he didn't even notice when Steve awoke from his nap in the next seat over. Steve smiled at the sight of his husband so engrossed in something. He didn't know what John was writing but he hoped that he would get the chance to read it. The man's mind was so incredibly agile, so sharp, Steve assumed that anything he wrote would be kick-ass intense.

After another meal, coffee, more dessert, more talking dog movies, more boredom, and in John's case a bit more writing, they were finally on their final approach into Honolulu. The air had become a bit more choppy coming into the lower altitudes so the passengers had been kept in their seats for the last hour. It always worked out so that the seat belt sign came on just at the point that everyone had been drinking liquids for hours and their bladders were approaching the bursting point.

John had made one bathroom run several hours earlier but he was still grateful to get off the plane and head to the first Men's Room he spotted. Since his buddies followed him in he guessed that they had shared his need.

Zipped up, hands washed and dried, the three men set off walking confidently down the concourse, side by side. People naturally moved out of their way. They were not in a rush, they were not running, but they looked confident and in their element. Steve and Danny had reattached their badges to their belts while in the restroom. To be out in public without wearing their badge left them feeling almost naked.

Getting out of an airport when you didn't have luggage was much, much easier than getting into an airport. When the airlines got you to where you were going they were glad to be rid of you. Any threat a passenger posed was largely removed when they left the plane.

John and Steve were both startled, astonished, overjoyed beyond belief, to walk past the Security Screening area into the front part of the airport to find a huge sign hanging from the ceiling saying simply, "Welcome Home!" Looking downward, they all saw balloons, hundreds of balloons, some hanging, some in bunches, confetti, and smiling faces.

Kono and Chin were there of course, as well as the Governor and a variety of friendly faces. All of them spoke at once in unison, "Welcome home, John! Steve! Danny!" Exhausted, grubby, unshaven, the three men felt enlivened by the welcome they received. The experience included two shirtless Hawaiian men who placed leis around Steve and John's necks in the traditional Hawaiian welcome. A shapely female did the honors for Danno which made him beam with joy.

"What are you guys all doing here?" Steve asked.

"We came to welcome you all home!" the governor said simply.

"How did you know?"

"Danny texted us with your flight information and the good news. We are all so relieved that you're all back where you belong. Welcome home, gentlemen."

John looked at Steve, then at Danny. Danny looked at John and then Steve. All shared the same thought: they were home. It was not the home any of them ever dreamed they would have, not the life any of them dreamed they would be living, but they had found home. They were home and it was good.


	2. Christmas Comes But Once a Year

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I had thought that this story was complete, but the characters just wouldn't leave me alone. So, while the daily temperature on the East Coast is 100+ every day this summer, it seemed like it was time for a little Christmas, even if it is a Hawaiian Christmas. This isn't really a second chapter but more a continuation of the storyline - call it whatever you want.

**Home**

After earning stares from countless tourists and residents alike, the trio got rides home. The minute they left the terminal a small army of workers instantly appeared and swept away the balloons, signs, and other residue of the welcome home festivities.

Kono gave Danny a ride back to his apartment where he returned her camera and quickly reviewed some of the photos he had taken. He never made any claims to being a photographer, but she wasn't looking for professional quality – she simply wanted to have a way to see what she had missed.

As they quickly flipped through the photos Danny had taken she was pleasantly surprised to see some very good photos. Without realizing it, Danny had succeeded in capturing some incredible expressions on the faces of the two men during their wedding ceremony. While the other events he had photographed were more pedestrian, such as the issuance of the license and then the actual marriage certificate, Danny had caught some things she could work with. After she left Danny she headed home and immediately downloaded the photos to her laptop computer.

While Kono was driving Danny home, Chin drove John and Steve home. Once there they invited him in but he took a rain check knowing that they didn't need company after being on the emotional roller coaster they had been on over the last few days.

Inside the house Steve dropped his backpack and went into the kitchen to see if he needed to make a quick run to the store before morning. When he turned back he saw that John had opened the sliding door onto the lanai and was outside leaning against a pillar watching the rhythm of the ocean waves gently but persistently coming ashore. The man stood with his eyes closed, arms crossed, allowing the comforting sound of the surf to wash away some of the stress of the last few days.

Joining him, Steve slipped his arms around his partner's waist and stood behind the man, gently resting his chin on John's shoulder. "You ok, babe?"

John didn't answer right away, thinking for a moment. "I'm not really sure what I am at the moment. But I think so."

"What's wrong?"

Sighing, John tried to explain what was eating away at him. "I'm concerned about the guys I was supposed to go retrieve. I don't know if they're still trapped behind enemy lines and are pretty much screwed, or if they've been rescued.

"I don't know if they sent me away because of homophobia and consigned those men to their deaths because of bigotry, or if they sent me away because they found some other way to get the guys out. For all I know the guys could be safe. Or they could be dead. Or they could be wishing they were dead. I hate the not knowing part."

Steve didn't even try to put his thoughts into words – he simply tightened his hold on his partner and held him close.

After a few minutes, Steve broke the silence and said, "You need to burn off a little energy."

"I'm not in the mood for sex, Steve."

"Sex isn't the only way to burn off energy. But I'll keep your thoughts in mind when he head to bed later. What I was thinking is that we haven't had a chance to go running on the beach in what feels like a lifetime. Running usually helps me to let off some steam and work off a little anxiousness. What do you say?"

Considering the idea, John said, "Sure, why not." They changed into clothes more appropriate for running than for traveling and made their way to the beach. Since they hadn't run for days they made sure to stretch and give their muscles some hint of what was ahead of them.

They started at a leisurely pace. While they sometimes talked when they ran, that night they simply ran, not even attempting conversation. What they needed most of all was to let go of things, not talk about them. So they ran quietly with only the conversation in their own minds.

In the age-old rhythm, they focused on putting one foot in front of the other, over and over and over again. Both men were accustomed to long runs, but they hadn't run in a couple of days, had had high stress in those days, and their bodies were totally confused about what time zone they were on. Without a word, Steve touched John's arm when he thought they had gone far enough. Simply nodding his head, understanding immediately what his partner meant, John turned with Steve and they retraced their steps along the beach back to the house.

Steve grabbed the shower first and washed away the travel, sweat, and sand. As he relinquished the shower to John he said, "I'm gonna run over to Fong's and get some pineapple for the morning. Anything you want me to pick up while I'm out?"

"Not that I can think of. I'll call your cell if anything comes to mind."

"I'll grab something for dinner while I'm out."

"Ok."

John stepped into the shower and became lost in the feeling of water cascading over his tired body. When he finally pulled himself away from the shower he wandered into the living room. Not knowing what else to do with himself since he was still basically in travel mode, he grabbed his iPad and laid down on the couch to read. Sprawled out comfortably he found an interesting looking magazine article to read and, despite his intentions, drifted off to a light sleep.

He awoke suddenly when he heard the front door slam shut. Steve sometimes slammed the door but not often. Since John had been trained to be observant of pattern changes, the simple act of how strongly the front door was closed caused him to come full awake and alert.

Not moving from his place on the sofa, John listened carefully. The next thing he heard was a woman's voice calling, "Steve! Where the hell were you? You didn't pick me up! Steven McGarrett! I'm pissed! Get your scrawny ass out here!"

Deciding that it was time to reveal his presence, John rose from his reclined position on the sofa and looked toward the source of the voice. The woman saw him just when he saw her. Her reaction was more pronounced than his. She screamed.

A natural reaction when you encounter a stranger in your home is to disable that person, to distract them, in other words, to throw things at them with the hope of hitting them and causing some damage. Grabbing the first thing that was close at hand, she picked up a picture frame that sat on a small table in the entry hall and threw it at John. Fortunately for John her aim was terrible, but the picture frame smashed in many, many tiny pieces of glass and wood when it hit the wall beyond his position.

John yelled, "Who the hell are you and what are you doing in my house?"

The woman stopped and said, "Your house? Your house? Who the hell are you and what are you doing in Steve's house?"

"I live here! Who the hell are you? And for the final time, what are you doing in my house?"

The woman was smaller than John but seemed to show no fear of confronting a stranger in a circumstance in which she did not expect to find one. Taking two steps toward him, she was about to demand an answer to her question just as he was about to demand an answer to his own question. She was also looking to reload, seeking anything she could pick up to hurl at the man.

"Wait a minute," John said. "You look vaguely familiar."

"Can't say the same for you, buddy."

John could see something familiar but wasn't quite sure of why. Suddenly it hit him: she looked something like Steve. "Are you related to Steve?"

"I'm his sister. Who the hell are you?"

"His husband." With those two words the woman froze. Her eyes were wide open, her mouth slightly open, and she stood still looking at John.

For nearly 60 seconds the two stood silently facing one another, scoping out the competition and quietly deliberating appropriate strategy. Who knows how long they would have remained in this fashion. Steve's arrival meant that they would never know.

Spotting his sister he dropped his bags from the grocery store. "Mary! What are you doing here?"

"Steve. Who is this man?" she demanded, doubly suspicious of the stranger in Steve's living room.

"This is John. What are you doing here?"

"It's Christmas, big brother. I left you a bunch of voice mail messages telling you that I got time off at the last minute and was coming to see you. You were supposed to pick me up at the airport. You were a no show. I had to take a cab all the way out here. Do you know how much a cab from the airport costs? A LOT!"

"Mary, slow down. We've been out of town. We had to go to DC. We just got home about an hour ago. I didn't know you were coming. I'm glad you're here," he said, giving the woman a hug.

"What the hell were you doing in DC?"

Steve released the woman, stepped back and answered her in two words. "Getting married."

"Huh?" Mary said, not believing what she was hearing.

"Steve, you haven't dated anyone since that one woman whose ship was in port. Who did you marry? Did you get some girl in trouble? And who is this guy? And what is he doing here?"

Stepping over to stand beside John, Steve said, "Mary, this is John. He's my husband. I married John. We've been together for more than six months. And we're married."

Steve's sister was totally and completely perplexed. Nothing that her brother was saying made any sense. While she and her brother had never been especially close – all right, not at all close – she had always known him as straight. She couldn't make what he was telling her fit into the framework she had always known.

"Steve, you're not gay!" she complained.

"Yes, Mary, I am. I have been all my life. I've just kept it well hidden for most of my adult life. Until I met the love of my life," he said, with his arm around John's waist.

"No," she said. John and Steve were not sure whether she was saying, "No, I don't understand," or "No, you're not allowed," or something else. Reaching into her purse, Mary pulled out her cell phone and looked up a number, dialing while keeping her eyes on the two men in front of her.

"Chin? This is Mary, Steve's sister. Hi. What the hell is going on here? I'm here in Hawaii and there this strange guy here and Steve's trying to tell me …"

Mary was silent as she listened to the man her father had trained try to answer her questions. "Ok," she said, disconnecting the call.

Tucking the phone back into its hiding place, she set her suitcase on the floor, stopped, faced the front door and stood silently for a moment. Turning back to the two men in the room who were waiting patiently, she stepped forward, held out her hand to John, and said, "Hi, I'm Mary, Steve's sister that he apparently kept entirely in the dark about a major change in his life."

"Mary," Steve started, but she cut him off.

In a move that would have made Danny Williams proud, she shook her head and held up her hands signaling that Steve should shut up and listen. "No. No. I think you could call your brother coming out, meeting a man, apparently falling in love, flying a quarter of the way around the world, getting married to said man, a major change. I've heard rumors that in some families, people call one another and relay news of this sort. Did you think maybe about letting me know any of this?"

"I called you!" he protested. "I tried several times but we kept missing each other. You remember when you were in Connecticut for work and then you had that trip to Florida? I left you messages but we didn't connect. This isn't the sort of news you leave casually on an answering machine. I needed to actually talk to you to tell you this."

"Maybe you have a point, but you're still not off the hook big brother." She stopped speaking for a moment and looked carefully at John. Not knowing what to do, John stood still and waited for her to finish whatever assessment she was running.

"Well," she said finally, addressing John, "at least you picked a cute man."

"Not cute," Steve complained, "handsome."

"Hey," John interjected, "I'm happy with cute."

"Are you happy, Steve?"

"Yes, Mary – more happy than I think I've ever been in my life. More happy than I had ever expected to be in this life. We work, Mary, we work together really well."

John nodded and said, "What he said."

Mary couldn't help giving a little laugh, still not entirely believing the changes she was hearing about so unexpectedly.

"Why don't I take your suitcase into your room and then clean up the broken glass."

"What broken glass?" Steve asked, having missed the picture throwing incident.

"A picture had an involuntary conversion with a wall."

"What?" he said, confused.

"I threw a picture frame at him when I saw him. It was dark and he was a total stranger in your house. I didn't know who he was or what he was doing here. A woman has to be careful and be prepared to defend herself, you know? Well, you wouldn't, but trust me, it's true."

"Did you get hurt?" Steve asked John.

"No, I dodged that one. But be careful where you step until I get the glass cleaned up."

"I should do that," Mary commented.

"No," John said, "the vacuum will pick it up in no time." He stepped away for only a moment, returning with a heavy-duty vacuum that he plugged in before setting to work cleaning up the broken glass that seemed to have spread across a wide area. Steve retrieved his grocery bags and moved into the kitchen to put things away while Mary excused herself to splash some water on her face.

In five minutes when the three people gathered in the living room once again the glass was cleaned up, the groceries were put away, and Mary had a more friendly and welcoming expression on her face.

"Do you drink beer?" John asked Mary.

"I've been known to."

"Would you like one now?" he asked.

"Yes, actually. That's a great idea."

"Why don't you two move out to the lanai and I'll be right out with three beers and we'll get acquainted."

John brought three beers to the lanai and sat down with his unexpected guest. Their first night home from traveling a quarter of the way around the world he desperately wanted to have a quiet and early evening at home with Steve. Those plans had apparently been blown out of the water.

"So, Mary – is that your name?"

"Yes."

"So, Mary, what is it that brings you to Hawaii?"

"Christmas."

"When is Christmas?" John asked innocently enough. He had been somewhat distracted of late and Christmas had not been the first thought on his mind.

"Three days," she answered, not entirely buying the 'I don't know when Christmas is' routine.

"Three days?"

"Yep."

"Oh, crap," he said with a sigh of frustration.

"What's wrong, babe?" Steve asked his partner.

"I'm not remotely ready. I was so absorbed in this whole going off to war to potentially die thing that I sort of lost track of Christmas. I'm not ready. I'll need to buy food … and presents. Oh, good Lord! What do I buy for anybody?" Steve could see John working up to a near panic so he tried to head that off immediately.

"You don't need to buy anything for anybody. You are my best present ever," Steve added.

Not buying it, John said, "Sweet, dear, but I'm not sitting under the tree with a bow for you to open on Christmas morning. And besides, there's Danno to think about. He's gonna be all alone and no one should be alone on Christmas day. We have to make the holiday good for him. Rachel and Stan are taking Grace to Fiji for Christmas so he won't get to see his daughter. He's gonna be depressed that day so we have to make it a good day for him."

"Ok. We can do that."

"How?!" he asked sincerely, "how are we gonna do that with only three days time?"

"We'll make it happen. Don't worry about it."

Mary jumped into the conversation. "Christmas isn't about what you give to somebody – it's about spending time with the people you love."

John sat back in his chair, his mind going a million miles per hour, trying to work through a hundred different possibilities simultaneously.

"Mary, have you heard about Steve's work partner?"

"Danny? I know him."

"Then you know that he's a bit high strung."

"A little."

"My point is that we need to do something really kick-ass to distract him from his inevitable depression. The man has been an incredible friend to us. Did you know that on our first date he brought condoms to both of us?"

"Well, since I didn't even know you existed until about ten minutes ago, no, I didn’t know that."

"He embarrassed the hell out of me," Steve tossed in.

"Ignore him," John countered. "Danno did a very sweet thing. He warned me not to mess with Steve's heart. He told me that he was from New Jersey and knew how to get rid of the body so nobody would ever find it. That plus the condoms. The man was really, really uncomfortable but didn't let that stop him. I think he's the best friend we could have."

"That's so sweet," she said after listening to John's explanation. "There's three of us to divide the effort. We'll make it happen and give him the Christmas he needs to take his mind off being separated from his family. Let's make a list," she said, grabbing a pen and a pad from Steve's desk. As they talked, though, it became obvious that Steve and John were totally fried. For that matter, Mary had spent the better part of the day in transit as well. It didn't take all of them long to admit that they were just spinning their wheels and that they would all be better off returning to the job in the morning. After a quick dinner of delivery pizza, all three headed off to bed.

 

As frequently happened, while he slept, John's mind unconsciously worked out what he wanted to do. When he woke the next morning at 4:00 am (his body was after all still not entirely sure what time zone it was on) he jumped out of bed, showered, dressed, started the coffee, and got on the telephone. Four am in Hawaii translated to much later in the morning in New York and John knew that so close to Christmas he didn't have any time to spare. It turned out, though, that by the time Steve stirred at about 6, John was just getting off the phone from his final long distance arrangement. Just as Steve walked sleepily into the room, John leapt from the chair at the desk and pumped his fist into the air, giving a whoop of excitement. Somewhat startled by the energy of his boyfriend's movement, Steve jumped and was quickly wide-awake.

"Morning?" he said tentatively, a bit cautiously and questioningly.

"Good morning you beautiful hunk of man!" John responded.

Steve smiled. "What's going on?" he asked, intensely curious.

"I've spent a couple of hours on the phone getting my plans set up for Danno's Christmas present."

Steve was confused. "Um, the last I remembered, when we went to bed you were in a panic about what to do."

"When I woke up this morning I knew exactly what I wanted to do. I got the last details worked out just now."

"So you don't need me and I can go back to bed, then, right?"

"My love, I always need you," John quipped.

"You are so full of it."

"True," John had to agree as he moved to the kitchen to pour Steve a cup of coffee. When he realized that the coffee was nearly two hours old he decided to brew a fresh pot. Whether it was the noise of the grinder or the smell of the fresh coffee brewing, Mary appeared just as John was pouring a new cup of freshly brewed coffee for Steve.

"Morning beautiful," John greeted the sleepy woman.

"Huh?" she asked, still partly asleep.

"He's excited," Steve explained.

"Coffee," she said with outstretched hands. One sip and she approved. "Wow, that's good."

"Thank your brother – he's the one that got me hooked on this stuff. He has great taste in coffee."

"And men, too, apparently," she added.

"True," John agreed with a smile on his face.

"So, Mary," Steve said, "we're going for our morning run. You want to join us?"

"Why in the name of all that is holy would I want to do that?"

"Exercise, physical fitness, get the heart pumping, things like that."

She shuddered at the thought. "Go away," she said with a wave of her hands. "I’ll get my exercise when I got shopping today."

"There is nothing like a morning jog to get you ready for the day," John tried. "Morning sex isn't half bad, either."

"I'm afraid I'm gonna have to take your word on both points."

While Mary savored the taste of the wonderful Kona coffee, Steve and John changed into just running shorts and shoes and headed out. She watched the two men as they stretched on the edge of the beach near the lanai, admiring the taut muscles she saw on John’s body. The man certainly was in good shape, she thought to herself. "Damn, now I’ve got to compete with my brother for men. Life is so unfair," she muttered as she refilled her coffee cup.

A quick poke around the kitchen revealed nothing obvious for breakfast. Feeling awake from the caffeine infusion, Mary quickly showered and dressed before returning to the kitchen to whip up a batch of waffle batter. Clear signs that Danno had been in residence lately were evident – there was real butter and a large bottle of maple syrup.

She waited to actually pour the batter into the waffle iron until the boys returned from their run. She guesstimated how long they would they would run and was actually fairly accurate with her estimate. Moments after the guys returned, all sandy and sweaty, she yelled at them to go shower and then haul their butts to the table for breakfast. Just as she finished giving her instructions to Steve and John, she heard the front door open and close.

Cautiously she looked around the corner but didn’t have to guess who was there when Danny Williams yelled out, "Yo! Dudes! You decent? Stop rutting like a couple of farm animals and get out here."

The words were barely out of his mouth when he saw Steve’s sister poke her head around the corner. He hesitated, quite surprised to find the woman in the house. "Mary!" he said, giving her a big hug. "When did you get here?"

"Last night. Coffee?" she asked, guiding the man toward the kitchen counter.

"Sure. Smells good."

"Danno!" John shouted as he spotted his friend sitting at the counter.

The two men quickly hugged and gave one another a big smile. Mary enjoyed seeing the two men so obviously were friends.

"Morning big guy."

"Morning little guy."

"Bite me you twerp."

They’re banter was interrupted by Mary. "John, we’re out of coffee. Do you know where I find more?"

"I’ll do it," he volunteered, quickly retrieving the beans, grinding them, and starting a fresh pot.

Mary poured batter into the waffle iron and heard the first waffle begin to sizzle on the hot iron. Danny’s nose rose into the air and he sniffed. "Oh, nectar of the gods. Mary, you are a goddess. A woman among women. Waffles!"

"He likes waffles," John explained.

"I remember. He gets the first one.

"Who’s getting what first?" Steve asked as he joined the group.

"Waffle. Mine first. You have to wait."

"No problem. You do need to grow a little more. You’re awfully short."

"Mock me all you will, you freakishly tall giant, but I still get the first waffle. Waffles! Waffles! Waffles! I love waffles."

"Mary. When he gets into this state you just need to shove the waffle toward him and pull your limbs back quickly."

"All of you shut up – don’t distract her. She’s decanting the first waffle!"

"Decanting?" John and Steve said in stereo, but Danny was ignoring them as he received the first waffle, slathering it with mounds of butter and then drowning it in pure maple syrup. One bite and the man was practically purring.

While another waffle cooked, Steve explained, "Danno’s somewhat of a waffle freak."

"Not 'freak' – I just appreciate waffles." After one bite he pronounced, "And these are good waffles."

The next waffle out of the iron was divided in two with one half going to John and the other half going to Steve. They both were more moderated in the application of butter and syrup, but nonetheless agreed that the waffles were good.

While she had everyone busy eating, Mary asked, "So, what’s on the agenda for today?"

"I’ve got some shopping to do. We’ve got a house to decorate and some food to buy for Christmas dinner. We need you here early Christmas morning, Danno," John ordered.

"I’m not sure what I’m gonna do that day, but you don’t need me muddling up your first Christmas together."

John stared at the man with a serious expression. "No fucking way are you pulling that shit, Mr. Williams. You are going to be here. No question. No complaints. No objections. You will be here. You are my family and we are going to be together for Christmas. Is that clear?"

John had spoken very slowly and carefully and earnestly, leaving Danny little choice but to simply nod his head and agree. "Ok. But I don’t want to be in the way."

"You are not going to be in the way. You would be in the way if you weren’t here. Are we clear?"

Somewhat subdued, Danny said, "Ok."

"In fact, to ensure that you are here on the big day, you will stay here on Christmas Eve."

"Now wait a minute …" Danny started to complain. Before he even finished the sentence, though, he knew he was fighting a losing battle. "Fine," he said grudgingly.

Declining the option of a second waffle, John finished his coffee quickly, grabbed his wallet so that he could head off to shop. At the last minute he thought of something and decided to give it a try. "Mary, I’m going shopping. You want to join me? Although I’ve got to warm you, I’m going to be running around, back and forth to the house with groceries and stuff."

"Power shopping is my favorite Olympic event," she decried, grabbing her pocketbook and ordering Steve to clean up the dishes and the waffle iron after it had cooled down.

Quietly munching on his third waffle, Danny looked up and said, "Did somebody say something? Where’d what’s his name go?"

"They left, Danno. They’ve gone out."

Steve sighed and sat down next to his partner. "What’s wrong?" Danny asked.

"I’m worried about John and Mary. When she arrived last night he was here alone. They apparently didn’t get off on the best footing."

"What happened?"

"She threw something at him."

"They seemed to get along ok this morning."

"That’s because I married the world’s best man who seems to get along with just about everyone."

"Even better than me? I seem to recall that I was the Best Man – for both of you," Danny baited him.

"I’m surrounded by great men."

"That’s better. Now come on, we need to get to work."

"What day is it?"

"I have no freaking idea. It just feels like we’ve been away forever."

"You’ve got to do the dishes first, Danno."

"Why?"

"Mary’s orders as she was leaving."

"They’re your dishes – you do ‘em."

"You come into my house, eat my food, cooked by my sister, and you can’t even help by washing some dishes afterwards?"

"That’s right," Danny said. "And pour me some more of that coffee while you’re in there."

Steve said nothing but simply glared his most menacing SEAL stare.

"And cut the attitude while you’re at it, Mary Poppins."

Steve washed the dishes, ever on the guard against invasions by the ants. He knew that once they got a beachhead it was nearly impossible to break their hold on the property.

Satisfied that he had cleaned and sanitized everything, Steve turned off the light, grabbed his keys and headed toward the door.

"Hey! Super SEAL! Forgetting something?"

"What?"

"Me!"

"How’d you get here?"

"I drove."

"Get yourself to work! Isn’t it enough that I fed you?"

"Where’s the love and concern?"

"Bite me, bitch."

Their friendly banter continued out the door and resumed once they walked into the office 15 minutes later. To an onlooker it appeared that they had started bickering the minute they each got out of their cars. In reality they had continued their banter by cell phone throughout their drives from Steve’s house to the office.

Chin and Kono heard the two men before they saw them. Most people had learned that if the two men were together it was rare for them not to be talking, usually animatedly which made it easy to track their location. Chin always laughed to himself that Steve, the man who had spent his adult life being stealthy, sneaking in and out of places undetected, had come to be so vocal with Danny.

"Kono!" Steve yelled when he saw her sitting at a computer.

"Yeah, boss?"

"What day is it?"

"Friday."

"And the date?"

"December 23rd."

Steve nodded, revealing no approval or disapproval. "Thanks."

"Where you taking us for our office Christmas lunch?" she joked.

Steve said nothing but simply turned his glare on her. She laughed and looked back at her work.

"What do we have?" Steve asked.

"Nothing much. It’s fairly quiet. A couple of tourist muggings. A carjacking. I guess even the criminals are heading home to visit grandma at this time of year."

"That would be nice," Steve agreed.

"What’s been happening while we’ve been gone?"

"We broke up a couple of drug and prostitution rings. Worked with the DA’s office on a couple of cases. Monitored some of our ongoing leads. Oh, and we ordered new furniture for the office and signed your name."

"What?!?" Steve asked.

"Just checking to see if you were listening."

"Don’t do that."

"So what did I say?"

"Something about breaking up a DA’s office I think," Steve said with a smile, knowing full-well what the woman had said.

"Just checking."

"Thanks for keeping the place running while we were away guys," Steve said to his colleagues.

"Why are you even here today, guys?" Chin asked.

"It’s a workday."

"So? It’s the last work day before Christmas. Most good bosses are closing offices at noon today and letting their employees go home early."

"Why would they do that?" Steve baited her.

"Because it doesn’t cost them anything to make a simple gesture of thanks."

"What if we have a crime wave at 12:15?"

"Chin, put out an alert on the web that all crime waves must be scheduled with at least 24 hours advance notice and strictly only Monday through Friday, not counting holidays."

"I’ll get right on it," he quipped.

"Fine," Steve finally relented. If nothing is happening then you can both go home at noon. I’ll be staying. And Danno will stay with me."

"Me? Why am I staying here with you?"

"Because you love and adore me."

"You’ve been in the sun too long big man."

Steve tried what John called his wounded puppy dog look, looking plaintively at Danny.

"Oh, all right! Not the puppy dog eyes! I can’t stand that big sad face."

"Thank you," Steve said with a hint of satisfaction.

"What are you two doing for Christmas?" Danny asked his two co-workers.

"Big family dinner," Kono answered.

"Stop by sometime over the weekend if you need a break from family."

"I hear you have a visitor," Chin said, gently broaching the family subject.

"Right, Mary’s here."

"Chin said you hadn't even told her about John! Please tell me you had talked with her and told her!" Kono practically begged.

"We haven’t talked for a while."

"You’ve been seeing him for more than six months!" she complained. "You married the man!"

"We kept missing each other," Steve tried to explain, keeping his head down in embarrassment. "She was traveling a lot for work and we were busy here. I didn’t want to just leave her a voice mail message saying 'Hey Mary, your brother’s decided to come out of the closet. Oh, and he’s got a boyfriend and they’re living together. Oh, and everything you knew about me is changed.'"

"Not everything," she said.

"A lot of stuff."

"You’re still the same man, boss."

"You better hope not," he said with a sly smile. "The old Steve would never let you leave early just because its Christmas."

"Sure he would. We just wouldn’t tell him."

They all wrapped up a few things and at 11:30 Steve pushed Chin and Kono out the door with best wishes for the big day and promises of an office lunch the next week. He and Danny tried to do a few of the nagging office chores that always seemed to be waiting for attention, but it quickly became apparent that every office they called was closed. Thwarted at every turn, it was obvious that not much work was going to happen that day.

Danny popped his head in Steve's door and flopped onto his couch. "I'm bored. Tell me a story."

"Once upon a time there was a slacker cop who was fired on Christmas Eve."

"Scrooge!" he complained. "You can't seriously tell me you're getting anything done in here, can you?"

Steve wouldn't look his friend in the eye, which gave Danny all the answer he needed.

"Come on," he ordered. "Close that computer down and let's get out of here."

"Danny! We've been out of the office for days! There's work to do."

"Bull. The work will still be here on Tuesday. And we'll be here then and the world will keep on spinning. And besides, I just got through my e-mail and saw one from the governor closing things down at noon today. Can't get anymore official that that, my friend. Now, come on! Let's get out of here."

Steve didn't fight the idea, sending his computer into sleep mode. He hadn't brought anything with him when he came to work that morning so there was nothing to take with him on the way out. Lights turned off, coffee pot turned off, plants watered.

"After the pace of the last week it somehow doesn't feel right to have time off."

"Hasn't your boyfriend sucked all the testosterone out of you yet?"

"We haven't had sex in days."

"Poor Steve! He hasn't had sex in days. Try thinking about poor Danno! I can't remember the last time I had sex."

"We need to get you laid."

"No argument, but I'll take care of that issue on my own, thank you very much."

Their cars were easy to find in the mostly empty parking lot. "You coming back with me?"

"I should go home. You two need to have sex."

"Not gonna happen, Danno. Remember, my sister is visiting. She just found out I fuck men. I don't want to give her a live demonstration. Come back with me. I want you there, Danno."

"Ok," Danny agreed without any more arm twisting. "But I've got to go home first and change into something more casual."

"Good. Ditch the tie."

"Just for that I'm gonna wear the tie with my shorts."

"Don't do it near John – he'll cut it off."

"You're right – he would. And ties are expensive."

"See you in a few minutes, Danno," Steve said as he got into his truck.

Twenty minutes later when Steve walked into the house he thought at first he had accidentally gone into the wrong house. When he had left for work a few hours earlier his house had looked – well, like his house! But now his house looked like a Christmas wonderland.

In one corner stood a big Christmas tree. Scattered all around the room were countless red poinsettias, some of them huge. Christmas music played softly in the background. He heard laughter from the lanai, poking his head out cautiously. John and Mary were seated at the table on the lanai just finishing lunch and relaxing with a couple of beers.

"Steve!" Mary shouted. "I'm taking your husband home with me when I go. This man can shop! I love him! Love him, love him, love him!" To prove her point she moved from her seat and sat on John's lap, wrapping an arm around his neck. Steve couldn't help but smile at the huge smile on John's face.

"You can borrow him but he stays with me," Steve said.

"This man shops like a man possessed!" she said.

"Yeah, about that – what happened inside?" For the first time Steve noticed that the lanai was decorated with a half dozen absolutely huge potted poinsettias. "And out here."

"We just picked up a few things to get ready for Christmas," John explained. "We also got the food for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. I think you're gonna like the menu we've got planned."

"Should I be worried?"

"No, but you should skip a couple of meals to get ready for this feast!" Mary said as she moved back to her own chair.

"Oh? Which day?"

"The big one is Christmas Day, but you won't be hungry after Christmas Eve either for that matter."

When Steve stepped back into the house to drop his keys by the front door, he noticed something very large covered with a blanket. As he was about to pull the blanket back to check out what it was hiding, he saw a large note that simply said, "Steve – hands off. No peeking allowed."

Steve chuckled, still half tempted to take a look. He fought down the urge and instead went into the bedroom to change into a pair of shorts.

As he was walking back into the living room Danny arrived, letting himself in with his key. "Hey." he said.

"Hey," Steve responded, equally verbal and engaging.

"Where is everybody?"

"Lanai. But before you go out there, be prepared – they’ve bonded."

"Of course they have. It’s your husband we’re talking about here. The man charms every woman he meets. It’s a gift I wish I had." Danny noticed the dramatic changes in the decoration of the room. "What happened in here?"

"Santa’s elves have been shopping. Apparently there’s more."

"More?"

"More."

"Grab me a beer – I think I’m gonna need it."

Danny made his way to the lanai, greeting John and Mary and complimenting them on their decorating efforts. Steve passed Danny a beer and joined the trio at the table on the lanai. He dropped his head back and looked up at the sky. Noticing his partner’s quiet he grabbed the man’s hand and said, "You ok, babe?"

Steve looked at him and smiled one of his big, infectious smiles. "Yeah. I’m better than ok." Without warning, Steve rose from his chair, grabbed John and hugged him. When Steve didn’t let go but kept standing with his arms wrapped around his partner, John made no move to break away. When they finally ended their hug and returned to their seats, Steve raised his beer bottle to everyone at the table and said, "To family – the ones were born into and the ones we create along the way."

No one argued with the sentiments of his toast.

"You two had lunch yet?" John asked.

"No."

"No," Danny concurred.

"Well, sit still and I’ll see what I can do to correct that."

"You got anything fried," Danny asked.

"Other than you?" John joked.

"Every funny. I just like my food to have some taste."

"It would if you added pineapple to things."

Danny didn’t speak but simply hissed at John.

A few minutes later John returned to the table placing a plate in front of each man with sandwiches mounded high with thinly sliced maple roasted turkey, topped with bacon and a few other items to make for a delicious sandwich. He stepped away and returned with two glasses of freshly brewed iced tea. One final trip to the kitchen and he returned with a tray holding a variety of cold salads – pasta, grilled vegetables, an Asian noodle dish – that he laid out in front of the men.

"You’ve been shopping," Steve observed.

"You don’t know the half of it," Mary answered before John could speak.

"Should I be afraid?"

"Probably," Mary answered immediately.

"Can I wait until after I have lunch?" Steve asked.

"Sure. Why not."

The gang was quiet for a few minutes while they enjoyed their food, one another’s company, and the glorious afternoon. The sun was shining, a gentle breeze was blowing warm air in from the ocean, the bougainvillea vines that covered the lattice-work structure that stood over the table gently blew in the breeze, occasionally dropping one of the beautiful pink flowers to the table below. It was a good afternoon.

"So what does everybody have planned for the rest of the day?" Danny asked.

"You and Steve are going to help us decorate."

"There’s more decorating?" Steve asked.

"Yes, there is more," John and Mary answered nearly simultaneously. "First thing is to get the tree decorated. You’ll find some bags with lights and ornaments in the back of my Jeep – I haven’t gotten everything unloaded yet. Start with the lights and move on to the ornaments. Make me proud, boys!" John ordered.

When Danny and Steve went to John’s Jeep to find the decorations for the tree they were shocked to find not the one or two bags they had expected but several dozen bags, not just with ornaments but with mountains of food as well.

Hauling the bags inside, Steve said, "You two leave anything in the stores?"

"Those are just the bags we didn’t already haul inside," Mary explained. "Don’t worry – all the cold stuff came in on an earlier trip."

It took the two men close to a half hour to get everything out of the Jeep and sorted out between ornaments, food, and other stuff. The Christmas music that had been playing in the background was turned up to a more audible level. Danny and Steve sat down on the floor and started to unpack the decorations. At some point John or Mary or both shoved an iced drink in their hands which both men found delicious.

Several drinks later the tree was starting to take shape. Neither Steve nor Danny would willingly admit it, but they both were having the time of their lives. No one watching the scene could possibly mistake how they were feeling.

When Mary picked up their latest empty glasses to replace them with fresh ones, Danny asked, "That's pretty good. What is it?"

"Mai tai."

"Never had one. What's in it?"

"Light rum, dark rum, pineapple juice, …"

"Wait! _Pineapple juice?_ "

"Yes. Why? What's wrong?"

"I _hate_ pineapple."

"Well, you've been drinking it for two hours now and didn't seem too upset."

"John!!!!" Danny yelled.

"Yes?" the man said with an impish smile on his face.

"You tricked me!"

"Me? Never!" he protested.

Danny growled at his friend before he and Steve turned to the task of cleaning up the mess they had created. Empty packages were everywhere. John instructed that they be sure to save all the boxes for repacking the ornaments after Christmas and to stack the boxes in the garage.

When they finished that task, John and Mary stopped their own work to survey the decorating job, nodding their heads in approval. "Ok," John said, "good job guys."

"Ok," Danny said, "I'm gonna take a nap." He moved out to the lanai, found a shaded lounge chair, and laid back with his hands behind his head, a smile on his face. Danny couldn't remember smiling as much as he had over the last few months. He knew he should be depressed but he actually was having a good afternoon thanks to his friends.

An hour later when Danny woke up he stretched and immediately smelled something heavenly. Rising he followed his nose to the glorious smell of something Italian. He smelled sauce, pasta, and mozzarella cheese, among other things. In the kitchen he found John pulling a huge pan of bubbling hot lasagna from the oven, browned to perfection. Mary was throwing the last ingredients into a big bowl of salad and drizzling it with olive oil and balsamic vinegar. John popped a loaf of garlic bread into the oven and started a timer so he didn't forget the bread again.

"Wow," Danny said in simple appreciation. "Did you make that?"

"Not this time. Didn't have time today, but I promise to make you my homemade lasagna one day after the holidays are over."

The food, the company, the evening were all great and everyone went to bed a few hours later tired but happy.

 

 **Christmas Eve**

The next day was Christmas Eve. John spent much of the morning on the telephone in secretive conversations making additional arrangements for his plans for the next day. Since much of the work he was doing involved talking with people on the east coast which was six hours ahead of Hawaii time, he had risen early and dove straight into his checklist.

When John finally poked his head out of the office at about 10:00 Steve was sitting at the counter between the living room and kitchen looking at the morning newspaper. "Hey, look who's finally joining us."

John gave his boyfriend a hug. "I'm coming to have a love/hate relationship with the telephone."

"Get everything you wanted done?"

"Yes! Finally. Last few steps took some work."

"You look tired, babe. Want to get outside? We didn't get to run this morning."

"Run. Perfect idea. Let me change clothes and then let's run. Danno? Mary? You want to go running with us?"

"There is not enough money in the world to get me to run on a beach," Danny responded. Mary simply sneered, returning to her magazine.

"I think we're on our own, babe."

Five minutes later John and Steve, clothed in running shorts, sneakers, and nothing else, took off down the beach.

Danny turned to Mary and said, "They're gone."

"Thank God," she said, throwing herself at Danny. Their lips locked in an intense, curl your toes kiss. "How long will they be gone?" she asked between kisses.

"Don't know. Twenty. Thirty minutes. Maybe more. Maybe less."

"Bedroom! Now! You've got twenty minutes to transport me to paradise."

Danny took her hand and ran behind the woman toward her bedroom. They were finished in exactly twenty minutes allowing them a few minutes to rearrange themselves in the living room so that it would appear that they had not moved.

When the boys returned an hour after leaving they were winded, sweaty, but happy.

"Good run?" Danny asked.

"Great!" John said. Steve stopped in his tracks, lifted his nose, and sniffed. He sniffed the air again. You could see his brain processing the input. He looked at Danny, taking two steps closer and another sniff. Leaning over the man, Steve sniffed again. "You've had sex."

"Excuse me?" Danny said, stunned.

"You've had sex."

"Yes, I have been known to engage in sexual activities with women. What's this all about?"

"You've had sex recently. Like this morning." Steve stood upright immediately and looked at his sister with his eyes wide. "Oh, no, no, no, no, no, no! You cannot have sex with him," Steve said as he pointed at Danny.

Mary looked up sheepishly, "Sorry. Too late."

Steve put his hands to his head, shaking his head back and forth vigorously. "No! No way! No fucking way!"

Meekly Danny looked at Steve and said, "We didn't plan it. It just sort of happened. We've only had sex a couple of times."

"A couple of times?"

"All right, five times."

"FIVE TIMES?"

"Babe," John said, stepping up to his boyfriend. "Your face is turning red and the veins on your neck are about to burst. Take a deep breath and calm down. Why don't we go shower while you process this information."

"Did you know about this?" Steve demanded.

"No. I'm as surprised as you are. I think it's sweet."

"You would," Steve said in a huff. "It's not your sister your partner is defiling."

"Defiling?" Danny and Mary said simultaneously.

John crossed his arms and cast a threatening glare at his boyfriend. "McGarrett. Shower. Now."

Steve actually complied, not happily, but he complied. John followed him and worked to calm his partner down a few degrees before they returned to the living room – which was empty. Steve found a post-it note stuck to the sliding door out to the lanai: "Went for a walk on the beach. Be back."

"I don't believe it. Danny Williams and Mary McGarrett. Willingly on a beach. Neither one of them likes the beach."

"If we had known that this is what it would get them outside we could have set them up earlier. Well, I couldn't have, but you could have."

"What?" Steve complained loudly. "No way would I set up my sister with … with … with …"

"With your best friend?"

"You are my best friend."

"But Danny is your other best friend. Admit it."

"All right. You're right. But I can't think about them naked and sticky together."

"So don't think about it! And certainly don't talk about it! And if I recall correctly, you were just saying earlier today that we needed to get Danno laid."

"Laid, sure, but not with my sister."

"Steve, Mary's a big girl. Danny is a big boy. They can make their own decisions. Let it go."

 

 **Christmas Day**

Since Christmas fell on a Sunday, many people would expect that, as the recognized day of rest in the country, everyone would sleep in and have a leisurely start to the day. Such was not the case in the McGarrett household on Christmas morning.

John was as excited as a little kid on Christmas morning. He was up before everyone else in the household, up before the sun was even up, so that he could set up one present and then start cooking. He was planning to start the day with a huge breakfast with all the classic American fixings.

His own experience growing up had been anything but the classic image of Christmas morning. He knew that this was most likely the case for Steve and Mary as well so he was determined to do everything he could to make this Christmas memorable for all the right reasons.

The coffee beans were ground, the waffle iron was warmed up and the batter was prepared. Several pounds of hand cut maple smoked bacon were fried and arranged on a plate to drain. Eggs were cracked to make scrambled eggs. Cinnamon rolls were warmed and frosted. Apples were fried with butter and cinnamon. Orange juice was poured for Danno and pineapple juice for everyone else. A mountain of fresh fruit was peeled, sliced, diced, washed, and arrayed decoratively on serving plates.

When he was satisfied that he had everything the way it should be, John decided it was time to start getting people out of bed. The sun was up so they should be as well. In Danny's room he jumped on the bed and bounced on top of the sleeping man. "Danno! Danno! Danno!"

The man jumped in surprise. "What's wrong?" the half sleeping man asked.

"It's Christmas morning. Time to get up. Breakfast is ready. Come on. Don't make me tickle you."

"Don't even think about it," Danny warned.

"Don't give me reason. Come on. Up," John said as he bounced off the bed and went to wake Mary and Steve in the same way. Five minutes later John was joined by three sleepy people.

"Merry Christmas everybody!"

"Coffee," Mary said.

John poured coffee for the trio and let the caffeine start to work while he cooked the waffles and eggs.

"Table. Now." John ordered as he rushed past one time from delivering another plate to the table.

"Babe?" Steve asked. "Two questions. One, have you been mainlining caffeine? And two, who are you planning to feed?"

"You guys," he answered.

"There's enough food here to feed an army."

"Then you better get started," he said.

As they moved to the table to start, John dashed to a table on the side of the room and grabbed his camera, snapping pictures of the gang as they started to dig into the food he had prepared.

"John, are you gonna eat?" Steve asked.

"Of course. Once I get some more waffles cooked."

"They're really good," Danny said, endorsing his effort.

A few minutes later John slid into a seat at the table and raised a glass of pineapple juice to toast the occasion. "To our first Christmas as a family."

"You really like Christmas, don't you?" Danny asked. "You trying to recapture the memories of Christmas growing up?"

"No. No good memories from growing up. That's why it's important to make good memories now that I've got my real family here."

When breakfast was finished some time later, John looked at his watched and ordered everyone to leave the dishes and move immediately into the living room. "Ok, everybody," he said excitedly. "Danno gets to open the first present. I'm sorry it's not wrapped better but it was a bit awkwardly shaped and I couldn't find a box that worked well." He stopped speaking and pointed toward something across the room that was covered by a blanket. "Move it, Williams!" he ordered when Danny didn't move off his place on the couch.

"I'm digesting."

"Digest while you start."

"Fine," he grumbled. He lifted the blanket from his gift and was surprised to see a big flat screen TV and video camera. Both were set up and connected. "Nice," he said. "It's bigger than my entire apartment. Nice."

"Turn it on," John said, handing Danny a remote control.

Danny hit the power button and immediately saw the screen come alive. The 55" screen was divided in two parts straight down the middle. On the left side was an image of Grace and on the right were two people Steve and Mary didn't recognize. It quickly became apparent that they were not looking at still photos but videos.

"Merry Christmas, Danno!" Grace said excitedly when she saw her father.

Danny looked at John with his mouth open in shock. John beamed with delight and nodded his head.

"Gracie! Hi honey! Merry Christmas! Where are you?"

"Fiji."

They heard two other voices chime into the conversation. "Merry Christmas, Grace, Danny!"

"Mom! Dad! I can't believe this! Where are you?" the man asked in utter shock.

"New Jersey!"

"How?" Danny said, looking at John. John pointed at the camera.

"You couldn't be with them today so I did the next best thing."

Danny rushed at the man and grappled him in a big hug, whispering, "Thank you!"

"Go talk to your family," John ordered with a smile.

"They're my family, but you're my family, too."

"Go. Talk."

Danny sat in front of the camera and talked with his parents and his daughter. Over time more and more people gathered around Danny's parents watching and participating in the production. Danny was delighted, delirious with happiness. John sat next to Steve on the couch and held his hand watching Danny's conversation with his family.

Steve leaned over against his boyfriend and said, "In case I haven't said it lately, I love you." He squeezed John's hand, so pleased to have the man a part of his life.

"John! Steve! Mary!" Danny yelled. "Get over here. Come on. Everybody wants to talk to you."

"I'm not dressed," Mary complained.

"Neither am I, now get over here."

"Merry Christmas," someone yelled. "Who's John?" the man in New Jersey asked.

"That's me," John said, raising his hand.

"John. We can't thank you enough for this. You've given us a gift that is so wonderful. To be able to spend time talking with and seeing our son and granddaughter even though we're all thousands of miles apart." Danny's father added, "And this TV is unbelievable! Thank you!"

"My pleasure. That's what Christmas is all about – making people happy."

"You've made us all very happy. How can we ever repay you?"

"You gave us Danny. Couldn't ask for a better friend."

Steve and Mary were introduced and joined into the conversation.

An hour after the conversation started, John stepped in and said, "I'm sorry to cut this short, but our hour is just about up. We all still set for another hour this afternoon? Great!" he said when they all agreed. "Merry Christmas everybody! Talk with you all in a few hours." The screens went blank as their connection was cut. John turned off the power to the TV and tried to move back to the kitchen. He didn't make it because Danny grabbed him in a bear hug and wouldn't let him go.

"Thank you."

"Ok. Who's next?"

Mary yelled, "Me!"

John dashed across the room, grabbed a beautifully wrapped package from under the tree and handed it to Mary. She ripped into the paper, demolishing the careful wrapping job in 10 seconds flat. She popped the top off the box and screamed. "Oh my God! Is this …?"

"Um hum," John said. "You drooled over it when we were in the Mall the other day, so I thought you wouldn't object if I got you one."

"I love it!" Mary said, "but, John, this costs way too much. I can't take something so expensive."

"Enough of the suspense," Danny said, "what is it?"

She held up the box and showed a designer handbag that Steve had seen rich women carrying around town. "Nice," Steve observed, not entirely understanding but accepting his sister's delight.

"I don't get it, either," John whispered, "but they're really popular. They're all hand-made in Italy and cost a small fortune."

Mary had the purse out of the box and opened it up. She found an envelope inside, pulled it out and opened it to find out what was inside. Reading something she said, "John! I can't take this!"

"Why not?"

"It's too much!"

"What is it?" Danny asked.

"First class ticket for the flight home."

"A first class purse should travel in first class. Merry Christmas, Mary," John said giving her a quick hug. "Ok," he said, "Steve's next."

John picked up a small package from under the tree and practically bounced back across the room to hand it to Steve.

"Why is Danno's bigger?" Steve joked.

"Hey, McGarrett! Big things come in small packages."

Steve tore the paper off the box and found … another box, only this one was black velvety, the kind that comes from jewelry stores. Popping the top open he found inside a simple gold wedding band. John lifted the ring from the box and asked Steve to hold out his hand, sliding the ring on the appropriate finger.

"It fits!" he said, astonished.

"Of course it fits! I measured your finger."

"When?"

"While you slept." John smiled. "We didn't have rings when we got married but now we do. I hope you don't mind that I didn't include you in the shopping for these, but simple gold bands are kind of hard to screw up."

Steve held up his hand, trying to get used to the idea of the ring being there along with what it symbolized. He took John's hand in his and nodded his head, not trusting himself to say anything.

"Ok. Ok." John said, bouncing back across the room. This time he came back with three packages, all identical in size and wrapping. Nonetheless he checked the tags and handed them out as addressed. "You all have to open these at the same time. Ready. Set. Go!"

Paper flew as three sets of hands tore into the packages. Danno got into his first, laughing when he had the box top open. They quickly all discovered that they had identical shirts – the classic Magnum Aloha shirt – each in their own size.

"Try them on," John ordered.

Danny hated to admit it, but the shirts actually looked good, and the material was incredible. "Is this silk?" he asked.

"Of course."

"I'm only used to wearing cheap-shit shirts with nothing natural involved in their manufacture."

"So adapt," John said.

John disappeared for a moment before returning wearing his own version of the shirt. As he modeled the shirt he grabbed another package from under the tree and tossed it to Danny.

"More? John! Enough already!"

"Open it!"

More paper tearing. "Oh, wow! Nice!" Danny said holding up a beautiful new red patterned silk tie. "Beautiful. You picked this out?"

"No. Mary did. Thank her for the good taste. I can do a lot of things but picking ties is not high on my list of skills or even skills I want to acquire. I'm more the aloha shirt kinda guy."

As John was heading back to the tree for more, Steve grabbed him and said, "Wait a minute. Don't you think you need to open something?"

"I've got everything I need already with you."

"Christmas isn't about need."

Steve handed John a slip of paper. John found a phone number hand written on the paper. Turning his confused face to Steve he said, "Ok." Steve handed his partner a telephone and said, "Call it."

"Who is it?"

"Call it and find out."

Suspicion and confusion vied for first place on John's face but he complied with Steve's directions, listening to the phone ring. On the second ring he heard someone say, "Hello." John gasped, stunned by the voice on the other end of the line. "John?"

"Yeah, it's me. Evan?" John asked is utter disbelief.

"Good to hear your voice, John. We've missed you."

"Missed you, too, buddy. Are you ok?" he asked in disbelief.

"I will be with a little time and the help of the docs here in Colorado."

John moved away from those around him, leaned against the wall in the front hallway and felt relief to hear that his friend was alive and well – or at least on the road to wellness. John had been so worried after his encounter at the Pentagon that his friend was dead. The relief that washed over his being at the sound of Evan's voice was very nearly overwhelming.

"How did you …"

"I can't talk about that, John. Sorry."

"No. I understand. I can't tell you how grateful I am to hear your voice. I've been so worried about you ever since they sent me away a few days ago."

"Wait. What?"

"They called me back to lead a rescue operation. But when I reported for duty they told me that my services were no longer required. I didn't know if they were sending me away because they disapproved of … well, that's another story. I'm so glad you're ok. Did you all make it out ok?"

"Mostly."

"Anyone I knew?"

"No."

John sighed in shared grief. "I feel your pain at losing somebody. Any idea how long you'll be out of commission?"

"A month or two at least."

"A month or two?! What aren't you telling me?"

"Tons."

"I can be on a plane headed there this afternoon."

"Don't do it – you know they'd never let you inside the base."

John sighed in frustration, reluctantly agreeing with his friend's logic. "Will you at least let me know when they release you so that I can come see you?"

"Not necessary."

"Not necessary? What do you mean?"

"Not necessary – because I'll be coming to see you and stay with you."

"What?!?!"

"Your friend Steve worked it all out. I'll be there sometime after the first of the year. He seems like a great guy, John. I look forward to talking with him some more."

"Yeah, he is a great guy. That's why I married him."

"I know."

"How did you know?"

"I know a lot of things."

"Like what?"

"Stuff."

"'Stuff' is the best you can do?"

"At the moment. Take it or leave it."

"I guess I'll take it," John joked with his friend.

"Merry Christmas, John."

"Merry Christmas, Evan. You're the best Christmas present a guy could ever ask for."

"Can't wait to see you. Talk to you soon."

"Bye."

Holding the phone against his chest, John closed his eyes and contemplated the overwhelming amount of information he had just received. After perhaps five minutes of quiet contemplation, John walked back into the living room and rejoined his friends who were all being quite restrained and very quiet.

Tossling Steve's hair, John sat down beside the man and just looked at him. Without a word, John leaned against Steve and just basked in the warmth and presence of his partner.

"Everything ok, John?" Mary asked, not clear on what had just happened.

"Yeah, better than ok. Mary, you've got an amazing brother."

"Shh! Don't tell him that! Don't you remember what I told you?"

"Sorry, forgot," he joked.

Danny was equally in the dark. "What was the phone call, John?"

"You remember our trip to DC?" John asked.

"How could I forget?"

"Remember how we were turned away at the Pentagon? That was one of the guys I was called back to help recover. When they sent us away I didn't know if they sent us away because they found out I was gay and married to a man or if they had somehow gotten the team out of danger. Thanks to your brother I now know that they got most of the team out of danger."

Steve picked up on the use of the word 'most' but didn't pursue the thought at the moment.

"How did you do it, Steve?" John asked.

"I have a few friends in high places. I just pulled in a few favors. You weren't kidding when you said it was classified."

John chuckled. "Oh, you could say that."

"I think I just did."

Their conversation was interrupted by the ringing of the front door bell. Steve was closest so he got up to see who was ringing their bell so early on Christmas morning. He returned a moment later with Kono.

"Kono!" Danny greeted his colleague. "Merry Christmas."

"Mele Kalikimaka, haole," she said with a smile.

After the usual greetings and offers of food, Kono got right to the point. "I can’t stay. I’m heading to my cousin’s house. But I wanted to drop this off first." She handed a beautifully wrapped box to John and Steve.

"Kono! You shouldn’t have," Steve said.

"You haven’t even seen it yet. You might agree. You might disagree. But open it." She was clearly a bit anxious about their response to her gift. Working as a team, Steve tore the paper (he was good at that) and John lifted the top off the box. Steve folded back the tissue paper inside allowing John to lift a book from inside the box. Both John and Steve were stunned to find that they were on the cover of the book.

"How?" Steve said, but became distracted when John flipped the book open to the first page which showed another picture of the couple. Their wedding! Of course. Danny had taken pictures at the wedding.

"Oh, Kono! This is incredible! How did you do this so quickly."

"Hey, I’m just good," she said.

With everyone crowded around to take a look, John slowly flipped from one page to the next from front to back. In just 72 hours Kono had taken the photos Danny had taken, cropped and corrected a number of things and compiled them together into a beautiful book. When they finished, John simply looked at his partner and said, "Wow."

Steve jumped up and gave Kono a big hug. When he was finished John took his place.

"Sorry I can’t stay," she said. Family awaits. You all have a great day.

"Wait!" John said quickly as he checked his watch. "Do you have two minutes to say hi to somebody?"

"Sure, I guess. Who?"

John grabbed the remote to the TV and turned the machine back on. Half the screen was still empty, but the half that showed Grace was up and running. "Kono!" the eight year old said.

"Gracie! Mele Kalikimaka! I thought you were in Fiji?"

"I am. Uncle John set it up so that we can all talk." It was just at that moment when the other half of the screen came alive to show a man who looked somewhat like Danny.

"Where is everybody?" this new guy asked.

While Danny enjoyed talking with his daughter and his family, Kono said, "How did you do this?" Steve pointed at John.

"TVs, video cameras, and satellite time. Nothing to it," he said modestly.

"Damn, you’re pretty good, too."

"I do try. I do try."

"And from all accounts you succeed."

As quickly as she came, Kono left them to head off to see her family, promising to return for dinner later in the day. They all participated a little in Danny’s teleconference with his family, but then excused themselves to give the man some private time with his family before the satellite moved out of position and the call had to end.

When the call and the last few presents were distributed, opened, and enjoyed, John moved into the kitchen to clean up the mess from breakfast and start to assemble things for the planned afternoon feast. Steve sat at the counter watching as his partner pulled package after package out of the refrigerator and unwrapped beautiful lobster tails, a couple of whole fish, some scallops in the shell still, a huge loin of gorgeous looking tuna.

"Who are you planning to feed?"

"Us," John said, confused by the question.

"Babe, there’s only four of us."

"Well, I invited a few others to stop by so in case they do, I wanted to have enough. I always prepare extra in case someone unexpected shows up. That plus my philosophy is that there should be enough of each thing so that if everyone wants to full portion of that thing, it's there for them to enjoy."

With a one word explanation, "garden" John disappeared out the door to do something in his garden. Steve stood by the door and watched the man he loved, marveling at the man's strength of character, his adaptability, and his love for life. Steve considered himself a very fortunate man. Just when he was convinced that he would never find such a love for his life, John had fallen into his lap out of the blue. Steve was thankful every day that he had gone running on the morning that he met his guy.

When the video call ended, Danny excused himself to shower and get dressed. Mary did the same – Steve hoped not together! Steve went outside to John's garden. He hadn't paid much attention to what John had been doing with the unused plot of land so he decided it was time to check it out. To say that he was surprised would be an understatement.

As he walked toward and then into the garden, Steve was blown away by the immensity of the project. There was more land in use than he had realized. He had no problem with that – it was just sitting there otherwise. He was just surprised that his boyfriend had accomplished so much all by himself.

Neatly arranged walkways separated the rows of vegetables. Steve passed through a section that was loaded with tomatoes of all colors and sizes. He saw a bowl of picked tomatoes sitting in the middle of the row so he assumed John had just found the ones he wanted to use in dinner.

Moving a little farther into the garden, Steve saw cucumbers, zucchini, squash and melons. There were other things that Steve couldn't even identify but they looked incredibly happy and healthy and productive. John popped up, surprised to see Steve, holding a big bunch of carrots in his hand.

"Hey, what are you doing out here?"

"Came to be with you. I can't believe how much you've accomplished. This is … incredible," he said with a wave of his hand.

"Thanks. I like it, it keeps the food budget down a bit, and it keeps us eating healthier – all good things in my opinion. Can you take these?" he asked holding out the carrots to Steve.

"Sure. What else can I do?"

"I'm just gonna dig up a couple of onions, cut some lettuce, and then grab the tomatoes and head back inside."

"Damn, babe. You never cease to amaze me."

"You bring out the best in me, Steve."

"I'm a really lucky guy to have you in my life."

"Ditto." Lowering his voice and leaning in toward Steve, John asked, "Do you think there's any way Danny could take your sister out tonight for a few minutes so we can have sex? I'm so hot for your body I could jump you right now and do it here in the dirt."

Salivating at the thought, Steve said, "I'll see what I can do."

"After dinner. I've got too much to do before dinner."

"Don't even have time for a quickie here?"

Looking at his watch, John said, "No. Schedule is too tight. Come on. Take these onions and I'll grab the tomatoes."

It took all of their strength to resist the urge to jump one another right there in the garden, but they succeeded in making it back inside the house without any detours, although there was a noticeable bulge in the front of Steve's pants. Fortunately, though, Danny and Mary were both occupied. At least that's what it appeared to be because when John and Steve walked into the house, Danny and Mary jumped apart and looked guilty of something.

"I don't want to know," Steve said to anyone who was listening.

John became chef extraordinaire that afternoon, preparing a feast. True to his word, a number of people showed up for dinner. John had set up a larger table on the lawn overlooking the ocean so that the guests could see and hear the ocean during dinner. The table was laid out with white linen tablecloth, candles, and beautiful plates that Steve had never seen before. He had also moved several of the big poinsettias so that they were closer to the table, lending a festive atmosphere for those who had forgotten the occasion. It was so fucking romantic and glamorous that Steve couldn't believe it. John had even bought a reinforced chair that could hold Kamekona's bulk.

When John poured the wine and started bringing out mountains of food, there were cheers along with the usual oh's and ah's. The last guest to arrival was the governor. John really didn't think she'd show up, so he was pleasantly surprised to see her walk around the house to join the assembled guests.

The dinner was a tremendous success. The lobsters were grilled to perfection, as were the tuna steaks and the whole fish. It was surprising how many people had never seen scallops in the shell and were unsure about what to do with them. When John demonstrated the beautiful and delectable items vanished in no time flat. They were so delicate, flavorful and sweet it was no surprise that they were consumed so quickly.

A never-ending number of wine bottles kept appearing; no guest's glass was ever allowed to go below half. John didn't appear to be frazzled or harried so it didn't appear that he was running around as much as he was.

Steve insisted on John sitting still while he and Danny and Mary cleared away the dishes. Even though no one was hungry, even Kamekona, what was Christmas without an array of sweet things to make you completely stuffed. John produced an astonishing array of desserts from traditional to exotic. By the end of the meal no one was hungry, and everyone was relaxed and happy.

The drinking and merriment continued for hours before the party began to break up as people started to head home. Everyone pitched in to clean up the mountain of dirty dishes and to put away the leftovers (not as much as Steve would have anticipated a few hours earlier). After a full hour of washing and wiping and putting things away, John collapsed on the sofa absolutely exhausted.

Nearly asleep, the man looked up to find Mary, Danny and Steve standing in front of him. "Huh?" the sleepy man said.

"You look exhausted, babe," Danny said. "You should go to bed and get some sleep. But before you do, we all wanted to say 'thank you.' Speaking for myself, this day was not one I was looking forward to this year. But you've turned it from one I dreaded into one of my happiest Christmases ever. I will never, ever forget this day as long as I live. Thank you."

"You're welcome, Danno. That's what I wanted."

Mary said own her thank you before Steve guided John to the bedroom. John showered and brushed his teeth, turning the bathroom over to Steve. When he finished his own routine, he walked into the bedroom to find his partner lying flat on his back, one arm arched up to the top of his pillow, sound asleep. To Steve it was the most magical sight he had ever beheld. This amazing man had run into his life at full speed at just the right time and had created a family. Steve joined his partner in bed, turned off the light, and decided that he was the luckiest man on the face of the Earth at that moment in time.


	3. An Out of Town Visitor

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shortly after Christmas, John and Steve get an out of town visitor, as promised in the last chapter.

True to his word, Evan Lorne arrived in Hawaii just after the first of the year. Repeatedly before he left Colorado he had tried to convince John, and John through Steve, that this trip was not a good idea. Not the trip, per se, but the trip at this time. Evan had a lot of recovering to do and he didn't want to get in the way. He hated not being able to get around like he wanted to, and he hated having to ask for help with the most basic of things.

He was a ferociously independent man. He'd had to be that man to survive and it just was natural now to resist being a burden to his friend. But neither John nor Steve would have anything to do with his objections. Steve arranged his transportation and told Evan when he was flying – and that if he wasn't on the plane then one pissed-off retired Colonel would be on his way to pick him up and bodily carry him onto another plane. Evan relented and agreed to visit the two men in Hawaii.

He flew in on a military transport that actually had seats that made the flight bearable. Many such planes were little more than boxcars with wings. The better ones had benches along the walls. While this one was prepared to carry some pretty significant cargo loads, in the forward section of the cabin passenger seats had been affixed to the floor so that both people and cargo could be transported at the same time.

When the plane touched down on the runway and slowed to a roll, Evan looked out the window and sighed. It was with greatly mixed feelings that he was there at that moment. He had never been to Hawaii and had wanted to see the place since he was a little kid. Hawaii was one of his mother's dreams, a dream that she often talked about when Evan was growing up, so it had naturally become one of his dreams as well over the years.

And there he was, in Hawaii – but unable to do some of the most basic things of life for himself. "I fly all this way to lie in a bed and see four walls," he muttered to himself as he looked out the window as the plane taxied to the hangar. Evan was working hard to be depressed and it wasn't quite taking because at the same time he wanted to see his best friend, John. Evan had desperately missed John when he suddenly left without a word.

When John had been removed from his position on the expedition and sent back, Evan had been devastated. The four years he and John had worked together had been four of the toughest – but at the same time the best – years of his life. And when John wasn't there anymore, Evan's entire life changed.

Everything he knew was thrown out the window when a new, strictly by the book military man was appointed to take Sheppard's place. Evan knew how to play the game and to be a good soldier, but it just wasn't the same. He was just going through the motions. They were living and working on a base was definitively off-book. No rules had ever been writing that foresaw the circumstance in which that particular base had to live and operate on a daily basis. It was for that reason that John and Evan had been firm in their command but had used common sense to guide them. The new leader was the least adaptable man Evan had ever met. Evan thought that the man even put his underwear on each morning by the book, measuring it before putting his pants on to ensure that it was the regulation length.

Yes, he was living in one of the most spectacular places in the universe, but the discoveries were fewer and smaller and the thrill just wasn't there for him anymore. When he was captured and badly injured on a mission, he decided quietly – strictly to himself, of course – that the time had come to move on to something new. Most likely that change would require a huge structural change in his life – in other words, leaving the military that had been his life, his home, his structure, for twenty years.

But at the moment such thoughts would have to wait. His plane was parked and two strapping young men were ready to move Evan off the plane. Evan was overjoyed to see that they wouldn't have to carry him. They lifted him into a waiting wheelchair and pushed his chair out the back of the plane and onto the tarmac. While he rolled along under the power of his escort, Evan soaked in the sights, the smells, the sounds of a busy airport. As a pilot for half his life, Evan loved flight and everything connected with it. Being around an airport was great medicine for him, even thought it only lasted for about 60 seconds before he was wheeled into a building.

"There he is!" Evan heard in a voice he instantly recognized. Turning as much as he could to try to locate the source of the voice, Evan spotted John and despite his earlier attempts at being depressed, he broke out in the biggest smile he had had in weeks.

"John!"

Seconds later Evan was grappled in a big hug – a gentle, big hug, but a big hug, nonetheless.

John knelt down beside his friend's wheelchair. He had heard descriptions of Evan's current condition, but to actually see the number of bruises and casts on the poor man was shocking. One leg was covered in a full length cast, one arm was in a cast and sling, and a cast on his other wrist – and those were just the things that were visible.

"Damn! What did they do to you?"

"Nothing much – just tried to tear me apart. Fortunately they left all the pieces so I'm put back together. I can't do much, but I'm whole at least."

"I'm so glad to see you!" Another man, a tall man, was standing beside John. Evan guessed that this was Steve; his guess was confirmed. "Evan, I'd like you to meet Steve. Steve, this is Evan."

The two men nodded at one another and Evan did his best to shake albeit with the wrong hand. "Steve, I can't tell you how good it is to meet you. I just wish I was more able to …"

"Enough!" John said sternly. "We've had that conversation."

"Several times over," Steve said. "We want you here. We're gonna show you a great time while you get better. Are we agreed?"

"Maybe," Evan said glumly. "I still feel bad that I can't do so many things for myself. Are you really sure you want an invalid on your hands?"

"We want you in any way, shape or form we can get," John answered. Taking the wheelchair from the man who had wheeled Evan off the plane, Steve collected Evan's luggage and they walked together to John's waiting Jeep. After the bags were stowed in the back, the two men lifted Evan out of his wheelchair and got him settled into the front passenger seat. It was not the easiest maneuver but they finally were able to get his leg cast inside the Jeep. With Steve in the backseat, John took the wheel.

For some reason, when John slipped his sunglasses on his face before starting the car, Evan lost it.

Snapping around to see what was wrong, John asked, "Hey, buddy, what's wrong?"

"I've missed you so much." Collecting himself as much as he could, Evan explained, "When I looked at you just now I remembered so many of the times where went off on crazy missions – and how many times you had that happy-go-lucky smile on your face. I saw all the times you'd be wearing your sunglasses and smiling ridiculously. I'm so glad to see you again John! I didn't know if this day would ever come. Just sorry it's like I am now."

"Not listening, Evan. Apologies don't work in this car. Now shut up and watch the scenery."

"Yes, sir." Evan was quiet for a moment before adding, "But you've got to know that I'm seriously damaged at the moment."

"I figured that out," John said as he drove them out of the parking lot.

Evan was quiet, trying to take in the vistas they passed, even though most of it was totally urban. It took them a little over a half hour to get home given the afternoon traffic. When John parked the car, Evan laughed a little and observed, "I never thought I'd fly seven hours and see a traffic jam in the middle of the Pacific Ocean."

"Sadly, it's an everyday occurrence on Oahu."

Steve jumped out of the back of the Jeep and carried Evan's bags into the house, propping the door open so that he could help John get the man unloaded, into his wheelchair and into the house. They had made careful preparations ahead of his arrival to make the house as wheelchair friendly as possible.

"Nice house. I'd like to look around a bit more, but …"

"But?" John said when his friend didn't continue his thought.

Grimacing, Evan said, "I'm sorry, but I've really got to pee."

"Is that all? We can handle that."

"John! Stop being so damn chipper. I can't even hold my own dick to pee at the moment!"

"Yeah, so? I can hold it for you."

"Trust me," Steve said, "John has no problem grabbing a guy's dick."

"I'm not sure I want to think about that until after I've peed," Evan said with a chuckle. John got Evan into the bathroom where business was attended to and relief was obtained. With a sigh, Evan was back in the living room. "I've needed to do that for about 1,000 miles."

"You don't have to wait a thousand miles for the next pee."

"Thank you for not freaking out on me."

"Why would I freak out? Everybody pees, Evan. No big thing," John said, instantly drawing an objection from Evan.

"Hey! No guy wants to hear the words 'no big thing' when his dick is the subject of conversation, if you don't mind!"

"My mistake. It was not a terribly onerous task since you are so amply endowed I had no problem getting a good grip."

Evan blushed several shades of red. "Oh, dear God."

Steve laughed. "I've got to warn you, Evan – John seems a little less inhibited now than he apparently was say a year ago."

"So I've just observed."

"You ain't seen nothing yet."

"Steve. Protect me, please! I'm a poor defenseless man! Help! Please! I've served our country for 20 years! Save me! Please?!"

"You've got nothing to fear, Major."

"Major?" Evan asked.

"You are still a Major, aren't you?" John said. His words started as a statement, but ended as a question.

"For the moment."

"Is there some possibility of that changing?" John asked quietly.

"Yes," Evan answered in a very subdued fashion.

"I see we have some talking to do."

"If you two are gonna talk, may I suggest outside on the lanai?"

"Yes, you may," John said.

After they got Evan moved outdoors and into a chase lounge, he cast an enthusiastic vote of approval at the view. "Oh! Nice! Guys, this is really incredible!"

"Beer?" Steve asked.

"Oh!! I haven't had a beer in … well, forever. I wonder if I can?"

"Yes, you can," John answered. "I checked with your doctor."

"You've talked with my doctor?" Evan asked incredulously.

"Yes, of course," John said.

"What do you mean 'of course'?"

"I mean that I checked to find out what we could and couldn't do given your current state of health. I needed to know what, when, how much, where, … all those things. And yes, I specifically asked about beer and he told me that in moderation it would be no problem."

Looking up at Steve, Evan tried the eager puppy-dog look, "Yes, please!"

Steve handed him a frosty cold Long Board bottle with a straw which he was basically able to handle himself.

"I've never had beer with a straw before, but I don't care. This is nice! Beer. Beach. Ocean surf. Dappled sunlight. Gentle breeze. Good friends. Ok. I'm never leaving."

"Deal," John agreed enthusiastically, joining his friend in laughter.

After a few minutes of quiet to allow the man to soak in some more of the spectacular view, John said, "Ok. Here's what I've got planned."

"Wait a minute! I'm not moving from my present location. You two go about your lives and turn me once in a while so I tan both sides evenly and I'll be happy."

"Like that's gonna happen," Steve said.

"Hardly. I've made arrangements for some in-home care. You've got an appointment with a physical therapist who will be here each morning at 8. He'll work with you for a couple of hours each day. He'll help you wash up afterwards, and then you can have a brief rest before lunch. We've got some great places to eat on this island and I've also been known to cook some good food before so we don't have to eat out every day. On days when we eat here, after lunch we go out to get some color back into your skin. You're as white as white at the moment so you need some of our good Hawaiian sun."

"Slow down a little. John! I can't get around."

"Not to worry. We won't do mountain climbing until you're second week."

While the two friends caught up and made plans for Evan's visit – well, actually, John talked about the plans he had in mind, Evan just objected to the amount of time John was going to have to devote to his care – Steve grilled burgers and pineapple for their dinner. By the time they were nearly ready, Evan was practically purring. "That has got to be the best thing I have ever smelled."

"Nothing special really," Steve said, a little confused.

"Trust me, after weeks of eating industrial hospital food and then airplane food today, it smells heavenly."

"Oh, right. Sorry, I forgot. In that case, you're in for a treat." When ready, Steve and John served the grilled burgers which the three men enjoyed as the sun set over the ocean. Evan required a little help to eat his but he relished it nonetheless.

Even though the hour was still relatively early, Evan's body was on a completely different time zone and was winding down. Steve and John got Evan out of his clothes and settled into his bedroom with an abundance of pillows to support his injured limbs. They left only after extracting from him a promise that he would call them during the night if he needed anything.

All three men slept well that night – Evan from having traveled all day, and John and Steve just because they normally did. When John and Steve got up at 6 the next morning they found Evan already awake and sitting up trying to dress himself – well, somewhat. He wasn't having much success.

"Has anyone ever told you that you're a stubborn fucker?" John asked.

"Yes, you did actually."

"It hasn't changed, I see."

"Bite me, Sheppard."

"No thanks. I haven't had my morning coffee yet."

Steve joined John and the two of them got Evan out of the bed and into the bathroom before moving into the living room for their morning coffee.

"Evan, would you be ok if we left you here alone for maybe 15, 20 minutes?"

"I think so. I make no guarantees, but I'll certainly give it a try."

"Ok. We're gonna go for a quick run. When we get back I'll make breakfast and we'll get you ready for your physical therapist; he's due here at 8:00."

"Go. Run – run for me, too."

John smiled at his friend as he put his hand on Evan's arm and said, "I'm so glad you're here!"

"Go. Don't let me interfere with your life."

"You're not interfering. Thanks for trusting me enough to come here and let me help."

They positioned his wheelchair on the lanai and left him with a full cup of Steve's best Kona coffee and a huge cranberry orange muffin. Evan simply nodded in quiet gratitude.

Twenty minutes later John and Steve returned, having moved at a faster pace than normal. Evan greeted the guys and envied them the ability to run on such a beautiful morning.

Panting from his exertion, John said, "Miss me?"

"You go somewhere?" Evan joked.

John jumped in the shower before preparing breakfast which the three men ate on the lanai. Since there had not been time the previous afternoon or evening, Evan decided it was time for some answers to questions that had been running lose in his head for months. "So, Steve, tell me about yourself? You live with my best friend so I'd like to know a little about who you are."

"See if I pass muster?" Steve joked.

"No, not at all. Just a little curious to know a bit about the one man who got past this guy's defenses. He's got walls that are high, thick, and close to impenetrable. It didn't seem to stop you, so tell about your super powers. How you can leap major defensive barricades with a single bound, stuff like that."

"What to tell," Steve said as more of a statement to himself than a question. "I was a Navy SEAL, …"

"That's it!" Evan shouted. "SEALS are trained to go into impossible circumstances and go where no man has gone before."

"Not 'no man,' Evan," John corrected.

"Oh, yeah? How many men have you been with in the last four years, John?"

"One." John answered sheepishly, pointing at Steve.

"There! See? I rest my case." Turning his attention back to Steve, he said, "Ok, so Superman, you were saying."

"Not much to tell really. John's not the only one who had some walls in place. I spent 16 years in the Navy, but I retired and now I head up the governor's special major crime task force. I do the same work, but now I have fewer restrictions."

John chuckled quietly – all right, not so quietly – to himself without looking up.

Evan turned to John and said, "Yes? I hear a story in that chuckle."

"He has fewer restrictions in some ways, but now he has Danny."

"Danny? Who's Danny?"

"You'll meet him soon. Danny is Steve's work partner. He's a little runt of a man but with a whole lot of punch." John could not have scripted the situation more perfectly than the way it unfolded.

"Who the hell are you calling a runt?" a loud voice demanded from the doorway into the house.   
"I may not be as freakishly tall as you and your husband, but I'm spring loaded! When I get wound too tightly by hearing words like 'runt' I can explode all over your ass. I'll have you know that where I come from those are fightin' words. You grew up where I did and you'd be eating those words right now, you, you, freakishly tall … " floundering for words, Danny settled for "man." Of course, the picture would not be complete without an appropriate amount of hand gesturing and ferocious facial appearances. "Runt? Runt? Where do you come up with these things? Steve! Steve! Are you listening to this? Steve! You listening to me?"

"How could I not, Danny, you never shut up."

"Good morning to you, too, super ninja."

The man stepped back inside the house, continuing to mutter aloud as he poured himself a cup of coffee before rejoining the men at the lanai table. Reaching out his hand, Danny said, "Hi, I'm Danny, and whatever these two goofballs have told you, don't believe two-thirds of it without independent verification." Evan did his best to shack Danny's hand, immediately taking a liking to the man. Evan appreciated men who didn't make you guess about what they were thinking or where you stood in their eyes, which fit Danny Williams perfectly.

Before he could say more, the assembled men heard the theme from Psycho blast forth from Danny's cell phone. "Go away you heartless bitch!" the man yelled at the instrument.

"You and Rachel having words again?" Steve asked.

"Not words. She's just trying to screw me totally, as usual."

"His wife," Steve explained to Evan.

"Ex-wife," Danny corrected. "My ex-wife who announced last night that she's taking my daughter to Europe this summer for three months. Three months! I won't get to see Grace for three months! Can you believe her? I move 5,000 miles to this place," Danny said with more waves of his hand, "to be close to them, and then she pulls this horseshit!"

"You gonna answer that, Danno?" John asked.

"Why should I? She's probably just found some new and improved way to torture me."

"Want me to get it?" John asked.

"No!" Quickly rethinking, he shoved the phone at his friend and said, "Sure, see if you can talk some sense into her."

John opened the phone and said, "Rachel? Hi! It's John. Happy New Year! We haven't talked since you got back from Fiji. How was it?" he asked enthusiastically.

While John talked to the mystery shrew, apparently on very friendly terms, Evan looked at Steve with a questioning look on his face. "They talk occasionally," Steve explained.

"John talks to everybody. John is everybody's friend," Danny shouted at John.

"Sorry, Rachel, you're gonna have to repeat that last sentence. Your husband is being your husband. Sorry, ex-husband," John said with a smile. "So, tell me about Europe! That's so exciting." John listened while the three men watched him very carefully. "That sounds wonderful. I'm so excited for you two. And you'll get to see your mom, too. I still remember my first trip to Europe, although it's been a few years now. But three months? Isn't Grace gonna miss her friends? I know that last week she was so excited about going camping with her friend Sylvie over on Kauai in July. And wasn't she talking about a week at the horse farm over on the Big Island in August? And I was really looking forward to taking her to the beach before school starts again." John listened carefully, nodding his head occasionally.

"This could go on for awhile," Steve explained to Evan. "He's got a way with women that none of us understand."

"And he does ok with men, too," Danny added.

"What men?" Steve asked, confused.

"You! You dufus!" Danny complained. Addressing Evan, Danny explained, "I don't know how these two managed to get together. This one," pointing again at Steve, "has got such tunnel vision, I'm surprised he even noticed this one," he said gesturing the other way. "The night of their first date …"

"After you pulled me out of the shower with a very naked and desirable John," Steve added.

"Shut up! The night of their first date, I practically had to take them by the hand and show them what went where! I gave them both condoms and lube and practically had to leave them written instructions on what to do with them!"

"Oh, you did not!" Steve complained. "I've never been so embarrassed in my life as I was that night," Steve explained to Evan. "John and I were sitting in a nice restaurant when in waltzes this one handing out bags of condoms and telling my date that he knew how to get rid of the body if necessary."

"Just looking out for my friend, Smooth Dog. For all you knew, you'd hooked up with some gigolo who was out for a one-night stand who'd hit the road with your heart the next morning."

Evan was absolutely enthralled. "Oh, this I've got to hear."

"Trust me, you'll hear it and a thousand other things from Detective Williams. In case you haven't figured it out yet, he never shuts up!" Steve yelled the last part toward his partner. "Danny, we have a guest. Please behave yourself. He's not accustomed to your uncivilized manners."

"Uncivilized? I'll have you know, Steven, that of all four of us, I'm the only one here dressed in a tie and looking entirely civilized, Mr. Cargo Pants and t-shirt."

John rejoined the conversation, tossing the cell phone back to Danny. "You're welcome, Danny."

Looking hopefully at his friend, Danny waited for an explanation. "I think I got her down to three weeks instead of three months."

Danny Williams dropped to his knees and put his head in John's lap, wrapping his arms around the man. "Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! I love you!"

"Hey, what can I say, I've got a way with women. Ok. You can get up now Danny. Danny? Danny? Getting a little weird, dude."

"Oh, shut up and let me savor the moment." Danny grappled John firmly for a minute before rising to his feet and bowing to the man. "John Sheppard, you are a gifted man. I owe you forever."

"I know."

"Forever."

"I know."

"Forever."

"Danny! Shut up, sit down and drink your coffee. Tomorrow I'm switching you to decaf."

"Don't even think about doing that!" Turning his attention to Evan, Danny immediately switched gears and said, "So, Evan, what the hell happened to you? No offense, but you're a mess."

"No argument. I'm a little broken and battered from a brief but especially brutal time as a prisoner of war in a combat situation."

"Damn! I hope you're not in any pain – other than from having these two jokers to contend with."

"No, no real pain. Frustration, yes. Got lots of frustration. I'm used to being fairly physically active so being wrapped and bandaged and casted is driving me nuts! I want to be able to get myself to the bathroom. I want to be able to get up and get my own bottle of water. I want to be able to go running again."

"And you will," John said. "Just not all at once."

Before he could continue his thought, the doorbell rang and John went to see who was at the door. A moment later he returned with a young, rugged soldier in tow. The man saluted Evan which made Evan laugh. "Sir!" he said.

"Sorry I can't return the greeting. Can we dispense with the salutes – at least until I've got some more mobility?"

"Yes, sir," the man agreed seriously.

"Major Lorne, this is Jeremiah, your physical therapist. He's reportedly one of the best in the business. With his expert help, we're gonna get you back on your feet and ready to go kick some serious ass."

"I'm all in favor of some serious ass kicking, just so long as it's not mine that's getting kicked again. Already tried that. Wasn't so much fun."

Jeremiah refused coffee when John offered. He sat down at the table and talked with Evan and the others about his review of Evan's medical records and the plan he had developed to help Evan recover.

"Sounds like a lot of work," was Evan's only comment.

"It is," Jeremiah agreed with no hesitation. "I know you Air Force boys are total wusses, so I'll tone it down a bit for you."

"John! He just called us wusses! Hit him! I would but I can't."

The assembled crew shared a good laugh before Jeremiah moved Evan back into the house to begin the first of their planned therapy sessions. At the end of the time he bathed Evan and helped him with other necessary business before returning him to his bed to take a short nap.

"How'd he do?" John asked Jeremiah when they were alone in the living room.

"Pretty well. He seems like a strong man. And I'll be pushing him when I need to do so."

Shaking hands, John said, "Thanks, Jeremiah! You're the best!"

"No problem. Glad I can help. I'll see you tomorrow morning at the same time. Here's my card. If he has any problems feel free to give me a call and I'll do anything I can to help."

"Great. Most appreciated."

While Evan had been engaged with Jeremiah, Danny and Steve had left for work, leaving John to do some things around the house. About an hour after Jeremiah had left John heard Evan yell his name.

Poking his head in Evan's door, he said, "You rang?"

"I'm ready for my close-up now, Mr. DeMille," Evan joked, using the famous Bette Davis line from Sunset Boulevard, one of John's favorites.

"You up for a little outing?" John asked.

"If I can pee first, I'm up for giving it a try."

Bathroom break finished, John pushed Evan's wheelchair outside where Evan was shocked to find a mini-van parked, complete with wheelchair lift. "What's this?"

"Your chariot." John pushed Evan to the lift and moved him easily into the vehicle. John drove them through winding streets toward Waikiki Beach. Parking was easy with a handicap permit and an obvious person with a handicap. John unloaded Evan as easily as he had loaded him into the vehicle.

"So, welcome to the world famous Waikiki Beach, home of surf, sand, and merriment for generations. I'd take you out onto the beach but I think I'd get you stuck in the sand."

"Let's skip the beach for the moment, as much as I like the idea I don't think sand inside the cast would feel good.

"You said earlier you wanted to run, so let's go for a short run."

"Um, John, man in casts here!" Evan complained.

"Hush. I'll run and push you and you'll feel the breeze in your face. Deal?"

"John! You can't push me and run!"

"Why not?"

"It's not fair to you!"

"And what happened to you is not fair to you. And besides, I love having you here and doing things for you, so shut up and enjoy the moment."

Grudgingly, Evan agreed as John started to push him along the sidewalk along the beach, first at a walking pace, then a bit faster, then faster, and finally at a slow jogging pace. Unable to help him, Evan closed his eyes and savored the feel of the sun on his face and the breeze on his body from their forward motion.

"Good, huh?" John said.

"More than you could possibly know."

"Oh, I think I have a pretty good idea. Now shut up and enjoy the moment."

They ran/rode to a spot toward Diamond Head when John stopped and started to point out some of the highlights of the view. The view back along Waikiki Beach truly was amazing.

"I've always wanted to visit Hawaii. Just wish I wasn't so helpless."

"Only temporary, my friend, only temporary."

John pushed them along the sidewalk back toward the car. But rather than stop at the car, John wheeled them inside a beachfront hotel that seemed to lack walls. You simply moved from the sidewalk into the lobby of the hotel. Evan was blown away by the fact that the place was so wide open to the outdoors. John guided them into the hotel restaurant which was right on the beach with spectacular views of the water, people frolicking in the sun and surf, and the hustle/bustle of life.

To ensure that they got the table John wanted, he had called earlier and made a reservation. Just as they were ushered to their table and John got Evan parked, Steve arrived and joined them for lunch. Much to his surprise, Evan actually had a good time. The sun, the surf, the sand, the scantily-clad women, all conspired to deprive Evan of his funk. He found himself laughing at Steve's stories about his exploits with John. Even though it was awkward for him to maneuver the silverware, he managed to enjoy the food at the place John had chosen.

All too soon, Steve had to get back to work and John knew that Evan would need some more rest after their outing. They made their way back to the house and got Evan settled on the lanai (his request) where the man was fast asleep within minutes.

And so developed the pattern for the remainder of the week. Evan apologized, John smacked him on the back of his head for being stubborn, Jeremiah worked to help Evan regain his strength, and John got Evan out to see something new every day. Each day John drove them to a new beach where they sat in the van and soaked in the scene.

One day they visited Diamond Head. Another day they made their way to the Punchbowl Cemetery. The next day they did a kitschy tourist thing in the central valley. They went "jogging" as John called it, getting ready for the day when Evan was able to run on his own.

After two weeks, Evan's arms were free of casts and bandages. By the end of that week he was left with just one cast that covered the majority of his right leg. Another couple of weeks and that, too, would be history.

With his hands and arms free, John put Evan to work helping to prepare dinner. He had the man fold laundry, and tossed him a dishtowel to dry the dishes each night. When he wasn't occupied with housekeeping and chores, John made sure that Evan spent time lifting weights to slowly build back strength in the muscles of his arms. He also put Evan at the laptop computer so that he could catch up on some of his accumulated e-mails.

Another week, more apologies, and more physical therapy, and finally – finally – the last cast was removed. Even though he was free at last, Evan's leg muscles were a wreck. His therapist helped him slowly work to regain his mobility and functionality. Steve was impressed the night he walked in the door and found Evan standing in the hallway with a cane with a huge smile on his face. "Damn! I was hoping I'd make it to the door in time to open it for you."

"Evan! I'm impressed. Way to go! Let's do this right." Steve backed out the door and waited outside for Evan to open the door. "Hi, Steve! Welcome home! Tough day? Shoot anybody today?"

"You've been talking to that rat bastard of a partner of mine." Despite the words, Steve threw his arms around Evan and gave him a big hug. "You're taller than I thought!"

"You too," he joked.

"You look good on your feet."

"I may never sit down again," he said before reconsidering. "Well, maybe I'll try that tomorrow."

"Doubt it. If I know John well – and I sort of do – he's got plans for you for tomorrow."

"What kind of plans?"

"I have no idea, but I'm sure he has something planned to celebrate."

Slowly they made their way into the house. "Hey, John!" Steve yelled. "Look what I found?"

Poking his head out from around the corner, John said, "What?"

With his arm around Evan's shoulder, Steve said, "This guy!"

"Evan! I thought I told you to wait in the living room for me!"

"I only went for a little walk to the front door."

"Hum. Good practice for that run I've got planned for later."

"Run? Maybe not tonight. I've got plans."

"Me, too."

"That's what I'm afraid of."

"Evan! You know me!"

"Yes, and that what scares the hell out of me."

"You've been talking to that partner of his again, I see."

"What is this? Pick on Danno Day?"

"Every day is Pick on Danno Day. You know – short, slow moving people make easy targets."

"I'm telling him you said that."

John looked momentarily concerned before he smiled.

"Evan, since you're up, take Steve a beer."

"Let him get his own!"

"You have been talking to Danno!"

"Maybe a little," Evan admitted with one of his smiles that was so sweet it should be patented.

The front door slammed in the way that only Danny seemed to be able to do. "Yo!" he yelled. "Where is everybody?"

"Right where we usually are, Danno," John said.

"Hey, look at you!" he said when he spotted Evan on his feet.

Evan beamed with pride at his accomplishment. "I like the view from here better," Evan said.

"Evan, I never noticed but you and I are about the same height. Paisano!" he said with his arms outstretched to give the man a hug. "When did this happen?" he asked stepping back to admire the sight of his newest friend upright.

"This is new today."

"And remember that," John said with a word of caution, "and don't overdo it! You think that maybe you should sit down for a few minutes?"

"If it would make you happy," Evan complained good-naturedly, "I suppose I could." Once propped on one of the stools at the kitchen counter he looked at Steve and said, "Hey! Steve. Get Danno a beer. And grab one for me too while you're there."

John threw a piece of broccoli at Evan who complained, "Hey!"

"I told you to get Steve a beer and now you've got him getting you a beer."

"Yeah, so? It's my cute face that get's 'em every time," he said trying his best to look adorable.

"Adorable yes, but watch it! I've got a lot of broccoli here and it can go airborne as well as the first piece."

"Fine," Evan said, sliding off the stool. "Make the disabled man do the work."

"Disabled my ass! You seem to be doing quite nicely getting around."

"Evan," Steve said, "sit back down. I'd love to get you a beer."

"Steve! Make him get his own!"

"John! I'm standing right here, three feet from the refrigerator."

"He needs the exercise!" John complained. "He's getting a fat ass from sitting around doing nothing for so long."

Evan sat up straighter and plastered a look of righteous indignation on his face. "My ass is not fat!" Looking around as best he could, he looked at Danny and said, "Danny! Is my ass fat?"

"Your ass is just fine. Don't listen to him. He's just messing with you."

"You sure?" he asked, concerned. "I have been kind of sedentary for the last few months."

"You're fine, Evan," Danny reiterated.

"John!" Steve scolded. "As an admirer of men's asses for many years, I have got to tell you that there is not a single thing wrong with Evan's ass."

"There!" Evan said proudly, "see!" Three micro-seconds later, though, he added, "Hey, why are you checking out my butt?"

"Because I like men's butts, that's why. Danno's got a cute one, too."

Danny looked at Evan and said, "Trust me, you'll get used to it after awhile. Personally, I don't listen to half of what what's-his-name says. It's just background noise."

Steve handed Evan a beer but told Danny, "You can get your own. I don't give beer free to people who insult me."

"Like now," Danny explained, "blah, blah, blah."

The four men enjoyed a pleasant evening together. Later that night when he was nestled in his bed – and yes, after all those weeks, it did feel like his bed – Evan reflected on the fact that while the last few months had been tough beyond belief, they had also been some of the best times of the last five years of his life. His body was slowly but steadily improving. He had reconnected with one of his best friends. And he had made two new friends. Steve was a perfect fit for John. And Danny – well, he thoroughly enjoyed Danny's take-no-prisoners approach to life.

As he drifted off to sleep, Evan felt happy, perhaps more happy than he should. The life he had known for twenty years was coming to a close. While the casts were gone, he knew that there was no way he could ever return to the job he had done for the last few years. And he didn't want another job in the Air Force anymore. He had given them half his life and had seen some miserable stuff that would give a sane man nightmares for years. No, Evan's days as a soldier were over.

He hadn't talked with John about it yet, but his decision was made. Evan had never really recovered from the emotional trauma of losing John the way that it had happened. His devotion to the Air Force ended when he saw how the institution threw away one of their best men. As for what he was going to do with the rest of his life, well that was an entirely different story, one that Evan hadn't figured out yet. It was his hope that John would be able to help him figure that out.

 

The next week John took Evan into Waikiki for one of their regular afternoon outings. With his trusty cane in hand and more confidence in his step, Evan walked along the sidewalk along the ocean with John. They didn't run or even walk all that quickly, but Evan kept up and was proud of his accomplishment.

When John suggested stepping into a coffee shop for a shop of caffeine, Evan did not argue and in fact welcomed the opportunity to sit. While John collected two coffees, Evan grabbed a table and decided that the time had come to have "the" conversation.

"Careful, it's hot," John warned when he sat down and handed Evan his coffee. They both drank their coffee free of any additives so John never had any trouble getting Evan's coffee "right."

After a moment of silence while they savored the first sips of coffee from one of their favorite outlets, Evan asked, "John? Can I talk with you about something?"

"Of course. Anything. Anytime."

"When I needed it most, you've been there for me over the last couple of months. I can never begin to repay you for your help, your patience, your nagging."

"I don't nag … well, mostly."

"Your nagging – and I needed it, but then you always have had an amazing ability to read what people need before they know themselves."

John said nothing but just listened.

"As you can probably guess, I'm not able to do the same work I did before. I'm better and I'm gonna keep getting better, but they haven't been able to hold my job open all this time. I've been replaced." He paused. "And in all honesty, I don't want to go back. When you left, everything changed. No. Correction. When they forced you out, everything changed. You're one of my best friends ever, you ran things as only you could run them – which was perfect. Everything's different. It's not what it once was. Which is fine because I'm not who I used to be, either."

"You coming out to me, Evan?"

"No, John. Get your mind off sex. I'm not gay."

"I know. Just trying to lighten the moment a little," John said with his classic impish smile.

"So, with everything I've just said as a given, my real dilemma is what I do next. What do I do with the rest of my life? I know I should have, but I've never really thought of what comes next. I'm not that old. No, correction – I'm a young man. I turn 40 next month."

"You'll be 40 … ?"

"Yes, John," Evan said patiently. "And don't get any ideas. I'm busy that day."

"What day is it?"

"The day I'm busy," Evan said, not giving an inch.

"I can find out, you know."

"Yes, I have no doubts, and I'm gonna make you work for it, too."

"Bitch!"

"Hardly," Evan countered.

"Prick!"

"There you go! Now you're in the ballpark."

Joking aside, John turned serious and gave his friend an utterly honest answer. "I don't have all the answers, buddy. If I did I'd share it with you in a heartbeat. While I can't tell you the answer, I'll be with you on the journey to discover the answers for you and your life. After all, I'm still trying to work it out for myself."

"I've noticed."

"You have?"

"Duh? How could I not? You had time to take in an invalid and spend untold hundreds of hours taking care of me, pushing me around, nursing me through my down days, …"

"Best job a guy could have," John said quite honestly. "Although I would recommend that you not try this whole breaking yourself thing again. If you do, I'm there, but let's try something different for a change."

"Deal," Evan said holding out his hand for his friend to shake. Finishing off his coffee, Evan raised something that John had not seen coming. "The first thing I need to do is get out of your way."

"Bull."

"And I've got an idea. But I've got to warn you, it's a crazy idea. Totally crazy," Evan said apologetically.

"Oh, this is gonna be good," John said as he sat back and crossed his arms.

"I think I want to stick around here for awhile. I don't have any place else I need to be or want to be."

"Great!" John waited. "And …?" he said when Evan didn't speak.

"And I want to ask Danno if he would maybe like to have a roommate and get out of that dump he lives in now."

John sat with his mouth slightly open, eyes wide and locked on his friend. "Ok, you're right. Didn't see that one coming. Have you talked with Danno about this yet?"

"No. Am I totally crazy to even think about such a thing?"

"No. Not at all. You two seem to have bonded and get along great. And his apartment now is horrible."

"He's a great guy. And he doesn't have that many friends. Well, any friends except for us. And as you know, he spends most of his free time with us. But he complains a lot."

"I've had lots of time to study him over the last couple of months."

"You sure you're not gay?" John joked.

"Yep. No question on that front."

"Damn."

"Why? You're married!"

"Happily. But I would love to fix you up with a couple of guys I've met."

"No!" Evan warned. "No! No! No! No way. No how. Never. Not gonna happen."

"Why, Evan! I don't think I've ever seen you so animated about anything!"

"I'll find my own women to date, thank you very much. And besides, maybe Danno and I will double-date."

"Oh, Evan," John said with a sigh. "You're a bit out of sync with the times. I don't think people 'date' anymore – I think they 'hook up' now, whatever that means. I think it means sex happens faster, but then I'm gay so sex has always happened faster for us anyway."

"So, when were you planning to pop the question to Danny?"

"Tonight if possible. If he agrees – and I hope he does – we'll need to start looking to find something big enough for two that we can both afford. It probably will not be at the beach like your place…"

"Which is why you're always welcome at our place, anytime."

The two men finished their break and returned to the house to take a long overdue walk along the beach before going inside to make dinner. John picked some things from his bountiful garden and together they created a feast. When Steve arrived he had Danny with him. "John!" he yelled. "Can Danno stay for dinner?"

"I was planning on it," John answered. "Hey, Danno!" John greeted his friend, handing him, Steve and Evan ice cold beers to enjoy out on the lanai. When Steve started to follow the two men, John grabbed his arm and held him back, whispering in his ear. Steve's eyes were wide with surprise which quickly changed to joy. "Way to go, babe!" he said to John.

"Wasn't my idea. It was Evan's idea. And he's about to pop the question. Let's watch."

John and Steve stayed inside but poked their heads around the corner to watch Evan and Danny as they talked. Evan was nervous so he was looking around while he and Danny talked. When he spotted John and Steve he motioned for them to go away. Both men shook their heads "no" and remaining in place. Danny noticed the motion and looked over at the two men. "What the hell are you two up to now?"

"Nothing," Steve said.

"Right," John agreed, "nothing. Your beers ok? You need anything?"

"The beer you gave me 45 seconds ago? Yes, Steven, its fine." Turning back to Evan he said, "Ok. What's going on? What's up? They're acting weird, even for them."

"They're just waiting for me to make a fool of myself."

"Not so!" John said. "Just waiting to share some joy with our two friends."

"Evan!" Danny said, "Talk! What's up?"

With a deep breath, Evan decided to take the bull by the horns and just ask. "Danny, I'm mostly back on my feet. My old job is gone. I've been replaced. I've decided it's time to retire and get on with my life. I'd like to stick around here for awhile and I was wondering if you'd like to get an apartment together, become roommates? Your current place is a dump. With two of us going together we could afford something nicer with more space than either of us could afford alone. I've gotten to really like you over the last few months. Your "take-no-prisoners" approach to life to so refreshing. So, will you think about it?"

Danny looked thoughtful. "I hadn't ever considered anything like that, mostly because I hate most people and couldn't stand the thought of being with them in my downtime. But you're different than most people. I like you. You do know I'm not gay, right?"

"Yep, neither am I. It would be two heterosexual men sharing living space, living life, maybe getting laid occasionally."

"That's always a nice thing. Doesn't happen all that often."

"With two of us going out together, we've got adorable all sewn up! We'll be catnip to the babes! We'll be so irresistible we'll have more women after us than either of us could get alone."

"I'm liking this idea more and more. Can I think about it overnight?"

"Of course," Evan said.

"Do you have ideas about where we could find something we could afford?"

"Not yet. I wanted to talk with you first to see if you were even remotely interested. I was hoping you would be. I really like you, Danny."

"You sure you're not gay?"

Evan laughed. "Yes, I'm sure."

Steve looked out around the corner again with an eager look on his face.

"You can come out now guys," Evan said.

"Did you pop the question?" John asked anxiously.

"Yes, John," Danny answered. "He proposed. I told him he'd won my heart and I was his forever."

"So we get to plan a wedding?" John said excitedly.

"You can plan anything you want, babe. We're just gonna live together."

"Congratulations, guys!" Steve said. "Evan, you sure about this? I mean, the guy is good, but he complains constantly about everything."

"I do not!" Danny objected.

"Don't worry, Steve. I know what I'm getting into. We're good for each other and I think we'll do well together."

 

Apartments and rental condos in Honolulu were plentiful but certainly were not cheap. Danny was working full time and Evan didn't know the area. John had an innate ability to find things, regardless of what the "thing" was, so he set about finding options for the men to check out each evening. For every five he found and researched, he showed one to Danny and Evan.

It was on their third evening outing that they found "the" place. John loved the place and hoped that his friends would as well. For city living, it was perfect. They had three bedrooms, two and a half bathrooms, good sized living room, a small dining room, and an absolutely huge kitchen. There was no ocean view, of course – at their price range it wasn't gonna happen – but there was a nice patio that gave them a place to sit outside, have some plants, have a grill, entertain guests if they wanted. Elsewhere in the complex there was a beautiful swimming pool, two hot tubs, and a variety of other amenities. The all-important washer and dryer were inside each unit.

One look at the place was all it took for Danny and Evan to be sold. Steve was along on this particular outing; he, too, thought it was great.

"Can we afford it?" Danny asked seriously.

"Yes," John answered simply. They had worked out an acceptable price range before John had started searching.

"Ample free off-street parking available, as you saw when we parked," John said.

"Utilities included?" Danny asked.

"Owner pays water and sewer, but you pay your own electricity, cable, and phone."

Danny nodded his head approvingly. He looked at Evan and said, "So, what do you think?"

One look at the smile on Evan's face gave him the answer he needed. "Let's do it," he said quietly.

Danny gave Evan a complimentary smile and clapped the man on the back approvingly.

"Ok, Realtor John, make it so," Danny said.

John gave them both a quick hug before going over to the office to handle the initial paperwork. While the entire complex was condominium many people owned units for investment purposes, such as the one Danny and Evan were about to rent. The on-site management office coordinated all such things for the out-of-town owners, which made it easier for John to take care of the necessary paperwork. Even though he hadn't told them about this, John paid their security deposit and first month's rent as his and Steve's house warming present. When the paperwork was ready for signatures he took it back to the unit where the deal was sealed. He was back in under a minute with keys in hand.

"It's all yours, guys. Congratulations!"

"Secretly I think this is all just so they can get their guest bedroom back," Evan told Danny.

"Wouldn't surprise me. They are manipulative and not to be trusted."

"Hey!" John complained. "Don't say bad things about the guys who just paid your security deposit as a house warming gift!"

"What?" Danny and Evan asked nearly simultaneously.

"Happy house warming!" John said. "That doesn't have the right ring to it, does it?"

"Why did you do that?" Danny asked.

"Simple. We love you two. Friends take care of one another. I know this is a foreign concept for you, Williams. Stick with me and I'll teach you how it works."

"Bite me," Danny joked.

"I think that's called 'friends with benefits' and we're not that kind of friends," John noted with a laugh.

While Evan and Danny were off checking out something in the next room, Steve leaned toward John and asked the question that none of them had thought about: "Do either of them own any furniture? Even a bed?"

John shook his head. "I know Evan doesn't. And I think Danny said his apartment came furnished, so thankfully he'll have to leave that sofa-bed behind when he moves. I don't think we're gonna need to hire a team of movers to get either of them moved. Probably a couple of boxes each."

"Pretty sad," was Steve's honest appraisal. With just a moment of thought, Steve looked at John with a smile spreading across his face. "Let's you and I go shopping for them and buy them some real stuff for this place. Between your VISA card and my impeccable taste …"

"You? Impeccable taste? Hah!"

"Hey!" Steve complained. "I'll have you know that I'm able to match my shirt and pants every day."

"That's not hard – you always wear the same colors. All your pants are one color, and all your shirts are the same one color."

"And yet you love me anyway," Steve smiled.

"Yes, I most certainly do." He gave his boyfriend a quick kiss before rounding up the gang and telling everyone that they needed to call it a night. He made up an excuse about having had a long day and really needing to get home. They had been there for almost two hours between the initial tour of the apartment, their tour of the complex, and then the subsequent paperwork and follow-up anxiety from both Danny and Evan.

With Steve behind the wheel of John's Jeep (it happened regardless of the car), he dropped Danny off at his apartment before driving John and Evan back to their place. All of them were tired so everyone headed to bed fairly quickly.

The next morning Steve headed off to work while John disappeared on "an errand". He had warned Evan that he would be out most of the morning but should be back by lunchtime.

John had worked out exactly where he wanted to go and had checked the previous evening to find when the store opened. He was one of the first customers through the doors when they were unlocked at 9:00 am. John walked through the warehouse full of furniture quickly ruling some things out and putting other things on a short list of possibilities. All of the possibilities went onto a list on a clipboard he carried throughout the store.

Half an hour after he started, Steve joined him.

"Hey, babe. Were you able to make the calls about the cable?

"All done. No problem. What have you got here so far?"

John showed him the short list possibilities he had identified. With Steve's help they selected a simple platform bed that would work in all three rooms. They picked out matching bedside tables and dressers before moving on to the living room furniture. The space in the apartment was big enough to handle a lot of possibilities. They finally settled on a big "L" shaped sofa that they both agreed looked incredibly inviting.

They also reached quick agreement on a 42" LED TV for the living room – Danny could use the one John had given him for Christmas in his bedroom. They bought another one for Evan's bedroom and a smaller one for the third bedroom.

When he had walked in, John had grabbed a salesman and asked him to get the manager. He explained that he was about to spend a positively obscene amount of money and needed everything delivered, assembled and set up that day. At first the man started to object, but John used a tactic he'd seen his father use before – throw money at any problem, no matter how impossible someone claims it might be, and it suddenly becomes possible. John assured the man that it would be worth his while.

After selecting a coffee table and several lamps, Steve headed back to work while John wrapped up everything there and moved on to the next stop – one of those big bed and bathroom furnishing stores. John purchased all of the things that one needed to set up housekeeping, including simple plates, glasses, some cookware, silverware, placemats for the table, sheets for the beds, towels for the bathrooms, bath mats, and a hundred other things.

As he had done at the previous store, he grabbed a clerk and persuaded them to help him as he filled one cart and then another and then another. John was mostly responsible with his purchases but was frivolous with one thing. When he saw a set of king size bed sheets emblazoned with pineapples he couldn't resist, buying them for Danny's bed. He of course had to buy a set of matching pineapple bath towels.

After he located pillows and bought a small mountain of them, he paid for his purchases and had three clerks help him get everything loaded into his Jeep. When he asked if any of the clerks wanted to earn a couple hundred dollars by riding along to help him unload everything, one jumped at the chance. He clocked out to take his lunch break before jumping into the Jeep with John.

John was glad he had recruited the help since his Jeep was packed to the gills. Between the two of them it took numerous trips to carry everything inside. John asked his helper if he could unpack the dishes, glasses, silverware and load everything into the dishwasher. John had brought dishwasher detergent so he was able to start the machine running before driving the guy back to work.

With that finished, John raced back to the apartment to wait for the delivery truck to bring the furniture he had purchased. While he waited he opened all the sheets and towels and threw the first load into the washing machine. Ever the organizer, John took that time to quickly sketch out where he wanted the furniture positioned in each room. On the door leading into each bedroom he taped the simple diagram so that the moving men would know what went where.

He prepared a similar document for the living room, including where the TV should be mounted for optimal viewing. By prior arrangement, Steve had gone home to check up on Evan and to take him out for lunch. John felt terrible about leaving the poor man home alone with no transportation and no one to talk with, so Steve had suggested that he cover that task.

John was pleasantly surprised when the furniture delivery arrived earlier than anticipated. A small army of men were suddenly at work throughout the apartment unloading furniture, unwrapping things and assembling everything. In no time, beds were taking shape. Within an hour, the men were finished and were on their way, each with a crisp $100 bill in their pockets for their efforts. John never ceased to be amazed by how much a simple $100 could buy when wielded at the proper moment.

He finished washing and drying the sheets and towels, made the two king size beds where Danny and Evan would sleep – he figured that Grace's bed could be made up later. His time was limited so he had to prioritize. He unloaded the dishwasher before racing out to the local grocery store and liquor store. He raced back with a case of Long Board beer that he stored in the refrigerator along with a few other essentials and the required bottle of champagne so that they could toast the new place that evening.

John took a quick look around, pleased with how the place was taking shape. It still needed more furnishings but for now he was satisfied. His friend Lola, the orchid lady as Steve called her, arrived about then and filled the house with gorgeous orchids in bloom. That was the final thing that had been needed. The color of the flowers brought the place to life and made it feel like a home.

Locking the door, John dashed back to his Jeep and raced out on yet another errand. He had asked Steve to bring Evan there and had placed a call to Danny telling him to meet them at the apartment at 3:00 as well. John raced back with his arms full once again at 2:55, barely getting inside before Steve and Evan were walking up the front sidewalk. By pre-arrangement, Steve kept Evan there and engaged him in deep conversation to keep him distracted until Danny showed up, thankfully just about on time.

When they opened the door, both Evan and Danny were shocked, thinking that they had walked into the wrong apartment, into someone else's home. But when they spotted John reclining on one end of the sofa smiling they knew it wasn't a mistake.

"What the …?" Danny asked.

"John!" Evan said. "What have you done?!"

"Come on in, guys. Sit down, relax." Trying so hard to play the calm, cool, collected man, John turned the big wall-mounted TV on and started flipping through the cable channels, thanks to Steve's earlier calls to the cable company.

Eyes wide with utter astonishment, Evan and Danny moved slowly throughout the rooms of the apartment.

John motioned Steve over to sit beside him. "Wait for it," he said quietly. "Wait for it."

"JOHNNNNN!!!!" Danny came stalking into the living room holding the pineapple towel. "What the hell is this?" he asked.

"I thought they were you, Danno."

With a growl Danny left the room to return the towel to the bathroom. John leaned over to Steve and whispered, "Wait until he checks out the sheets!"

"You are an evil genius!"

"Thank you!"

John went into the kitchen and pulled out the champagne he had chilling along with the newly washed champagne flutes. Evan walked back in shaking his head in astonishment with Danny a few paces behind him. John popped the cork on the champagne and handed out glasses as he filled them.

"Gentlemen," he said solemnly. "To your new home."

They toasted the new apartment. After sipping the champagne, Danny put his glass down and grappled John in a hug that lifted him off the floor. For a short guy, Danny was muscled and powerful. He swung John around and then set the man down, giving him a big kiss. "You … you …. Who loves you babe?"

"Danno!" John said.

"Evan!" Danny shouted, even though the man was only a few feet away from him. "Has he always been this way?"

"No. We're seeing an entirely different John than the one I knew. He was always this strange mix of formal and informal. You wouldn't have liked him as much then, Danny."

"Doesn't matter. I like him now – except for his obsession with pineapple. I'll never understand that. Of all the habits he had to pick up from Steve, pineapple? Gesh!"

Picking up on his cue, John said, "Danny, would you grab the champagne out of the refrigerator? I need a refill. Top shelf."

A positively evil smirk appeared on his face. Steve watched, knowing that whatever came next was going to be good.

"Arrrrggghhhh!" they heard Danny bellow from the kitchen. Steve poked his head around the corner to find the cause of Danny's upset – the refrigerator was full of his favorite – pineapple. There must have been 20 of the fruits inside."

"Something wrong, Danno?" John asked, trying to sound innocent. When Danny came back in carrying one of the fruits, John batted his eyelashes to try to give an absolutely innocent appearance. Danny threw the pineapple at John which he easily caught, laughing heartily.

Conspiratorially, John called Evan over and whispered something in his ear. The man disappeared from the room on a mission from John, only to return a few seconds later trying hard to contain laughter that wanted to burst forth.

"Evan?" Danny asked, suspiciously. "What's up?"

"Nothing," he squeaked, trying so hard to contain himself.

"I don't believe you."

"That's because you're a wise man."

Turning to John, Danny said, "What have you done now?"

"Who? Me? What makes you think I'd do anything?"

"Simple. Because I know you, you twisted fuck!"

"Danno! You wound me!"

"Yeah, and whatever you've done is probably gonna wound me as well." He went off searching for some sign of what his friend had done. There really weren't that many options. He had already seen the pineapple towels in the bathroom, the pineapple shower curtain, the pineapple bath mat. He stepped into the bedroom and knew that whatever was up could only be the bed or the dresser. The dresser was empty so he checked the bed. And that was when he spotted the pineapple sheets.

As he returned to the living room, Danny looked around, not seeing John. "Oh, John!" he called.

"He left," Steve said. "Something about fearing for his life."

"Haul it out here, you wuss!" Danny yelled. "Very cute, by the way. I will be forced to burn them, you know."

"I know," John said from the kitchen. There's another set in the closet, all washed and ready to go on if you feel you need to change them."

When everyone was seated in the living room, John said, more seriously, "I couldn't get everything, guys. There just wasn't enough time. But I got the bare minimum needed to get you started. Let me know if you need any other essentials …"

"I think you've done enough already," Evan said. "John. Steve. This is too much. John, I don’t know how in the world you did all this! You did all this just today? How?”

“I’ve very good.”

"Evan, don't waste your breath. This is what he does. And this is one of the many reasons why I love him so much," Steve said as he nuzzled his boyfriend's neck.

"I don’t know how I ever got so lucky to have you guys in my life. But I’m so grateful you are."

John looked exhausted, but given the many activities that had filled his day he had earned the right to be tired. "Steve. Evan. I'm hungry and I'm too tired to get up. Can you go pick up a pizza for dinner and bring it back here?"

"Sure," Steve said.

"We could call and order one," Evan said, stating the obvious.

Steve immediately got the message that John wanted a few minutes with Danny for some reason so he stood and said, "Come on, Evan. Let's go forage for food."

"You do know that we're depriving some guy of an income by going out to get our own pizza, don't you? This is positively un-American."

"I know, but do it anyway because John asked. We live to obey his every wish."

"Maybe you do …" they heard Evan say as he and Steve went out the door.

"Yes, John?" Danny said, reading his friend enough to know that something was on his mind.

"Danno, thanks."

"Thanks? It seems like it should be me who's thanking you! I mean, look at everything you did. And the expense!"

"Danny, you know the money is irrelevant to me. And besides, this was a labor of love."

"Pineapple sheets are an act of love?" He paused for a moment before asking, "So what's really on your mind?"

"Evan is a lot better than when you first met him, but he's still fairly fragile. He's over one hell but he's about to enter into another when he realizes that the life he's known for twenty years is different."

Their conversation was interrupted by the sound of squeals of delight as they saw Evan run into the room holding something in his hand high over his head. Seconds later a shirtless Steve ran in chasing Evan. "Give it back!"

Somehow Evan eluded Steve and ran back out still clutching his prize in his hands held high over his head; Steve followed in hot pursuit.

"You were saying something about someone being fragile?" Danny said with a look of amusement.

"You know what I mean, Danno."

"Yes, John, I do."

"I guess what I'm trying to say is thank you for being there for my friend. He needs to build a new life and I know that he's got a great beginning here with you in his life."

"You know I'd do just about anything for you, and I assure you that I wouldn't be moving in here if I didn't feel good about it. And I do feel good about this. I think it's gonna be great." Neither man spoke for a moment before Danny asked, "Any guesses on why Evan had Steve's shirt?"

"Not a clue, but I'm sure we'll hear about it when they get back."

"If they get back."

"They'll be back. Steve loves parading around without a shirt for all the world to see what they'll never get to have."

"I've noticed that he does seem to slip out of his shirt a lot. At first I wondered if he was greased or something so that it just slipped off, but then I noticed he looks for opportunities to take it off.”

"Hey, if we had a build like that, you don't think we'd be showing it off to anyone that would look?"

"What are you talking about? You look pretty hot without a shirt on."

"I'm not built like Steve is. He's pumped."

"And it works for him but it wouldn't work for us in the same way. We're the more classically handsome, chiseled men."

Suddenly remembering something, John said, "Oh, I forgot to tell you, but there's a fitness center of some sort in the complex, so if you want, you can work out there and maybe meet some of the lovely ladies we've seen coming and going."

"You leave that to me. Ok?"

"Ok. Toss some Evan's way if you can. The man needs to get laid."

"Hey, he's not the only one," Danny said with a sigh.

"No man our age should have to go without."

And once again their conversation was interrupted by the arrival of two overgrown adolescents. Steve caught up with Evan in the middle of the living room, grappling the man and lifting his physically off the floor.

"Give it back!" Steve said as Evan laughed in delight.

"Go ahead – take it!" Evan said, knowing that Steve couldn't hold him and grab the shirt at the same time.

"Don't make me tickle you!" Steve threatened.

"Steven! Put Evan down!" John ordered.

"But he took my shirt!" Steve mock pouted.

"Why did you have it off anyway?"

"It was inside out."

"And you had to change it outside where all the world could watch?"

"Of course."

Steve put Evan down. Evan handed the shirt back to Steve who pulled his garment back over his head.

"Damn, babe!" John said as he saw the man's abs rippling, "you look mighty fine without a shirt on."

Steve didn't answer with words but plastered a huge smile on his face.

"Now where's our pizza?" John asked. "I distinctly remember sending you out to buy a pizza."

"The guy should be here any time now," Steve said after consulting his watch.

"You called and ordered a pizza? I thought you were going out to pick one up!"

"Nobody goes out to pick up pizza," Steve tried to explain to his husband. "You call and order them and the guy brings them to your door. Why would anyone go out to buy pizza. Pizza doesn't come from 'out'; it comes to the door. That's the way it works."

"Ok," John said, knowing that he was fighting a losing battle. "Just so long as someone feeds me soon – I'm hungry."

Two minutes later a knock at the door provided the answer to everyone's needs – the pizza guy had arrived. Steve opened the door to meet the guy and then called out, "Hey, John! I need some money to pay the pizza guy."

"Use your own damn money!"

"I can't! I don't have my wallet!"

"And you drove a car over here without a wallet?" John asked incredulously.

"The guy's waiting for his money," Steve said to urge his partner into motion.

Rolling his eyes in exasperation, John got up and made his way to the door, paying the delivery guy, sending him away with a smile on his face from the hefty tip he gave the guy.

Steve reached for the pizza box but John batted his hand away. "You wait until after I get a piece – I paid for the damned thing after all."

"You're the one that wanted pizza."


	4. A Rough Patch

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Every relationship hits a few bumps now and then. This tale is the story of how our favorite boys handle their first major bump in the road.

John was caught off-guard when it happened – it was completely unexpected. It was an especially busy time for Steve with breaks in several major cases hitting almost simultaneously. He and his team were putting in some major hours at work, which meant that there was less time for anything else, like having a life. Even after a year together, he and John still tremendously enjoyed their time together so the time apart was proving to be difficult for both of them.

It was especially difficult for John for the simple fact that he didn't have a job to go to. He didn't have an outside distraction. He didn't have demands on his time outside of the house. Sure, he had things to do around the house. He had his garden to tend. He had shopping to do, errands to run, waves to surf, but it wasn't the same. After a couple of weeks with Steve gone all day, most evenings, and both days of the weekend for two weeks in a row, John found that he was bored. No, he was beyond bored.

When he realized the degree to which his life had come to depend on Steve's presence, he was surprised. Never before in his life had another person occupied such a position of influence over his outlook on life. No one else had ever exerted such influence. He had always seen himself as an independent person who didn't need anyone else to be happy, fulfilled, complete.

This realization hit him during the middle of one night a couple of weeks into their current cycle. He was going to talk with Steve about the issue over breakfast the next morning, but while he was in the kitchen starting the coffee, Steve jumped in the shower, dressed, and was out the door before he could even get a word in edgewise.

They didn't have time to talk. They didn't have time to do anything with Steve working so damned many hours. He couldn't remember the last time they had run together. Steve was never home for dinner. They had sex occasionally, but it wasn't the same passion as they had experienced in their first days together. Steve's focus was elsewhere. For the first time in their relationship they weren't each bringing 50% of the energy to the partnership.

Another morning when Steve dashed out of the house before John could talk with him yet again, John had had enough. "When did you become such a total, dependent wuss?" he asked himself. It was early once again. The day had barely started, and already he was at a loss. He didn't know what to do with himself and he refused to feel sorry for himself.

He stepped outside to grab the morning newspaper and sat down at the counter to try to enjoy his morning coffee, although his heart certainly wasn't in it at the moment. As he glanced at the front of the newspaper, though, something leapt out at him and he asked himself aloud, "Why didn't I think of that sooner?" Tossing down the newspaper he headed out the door to the beach to run. Just because Steve wasn't interested in running together didn't mean that he couldn't run.

With renewed enthusiasm from his revelation, he ran with fresh energy. As he ran he mulled over his idea, finding that his mind was already ten steps into considering possibilities. With a burst of energy he hadn't felt in weeks, he finished his run so that he could get on with his idea.

After a quick shower he dressed, tossed a couple of things in his backpack and headed out the door. Morning rush hour was in full force so the drive to the airport was slow. Since he didn't have a particular schedule he was less anxious than most of the other drivers on the road.

He parked his Jeep and made his way inside the airport. The big board listed flights leaving for all corners of the world over the course of the day. But those weren't what interested him at the moment. He was thinking of something a little more localized. The flights he wanted were on a separate board. He was astonished at how frequently the intra-island flights operated. His destination turned out to be no problem at all. There were many flights that were headed his way.

At one of the ubiquitous airline ticket kiosks – really, didn't people work at airports anymore? – he found the next available flight, wondering if he would be able to get through security quickly enough to make that flight. He took a chance and bought a ticket, reasoning that the airline wouldn't still be selling tickets on the flight if there was no way to reach the gate in time. It turned out that security was not an issue in terms of time with plenty of lanes open and a reasonable number of people trying to head out of Oahu at that hour.

He was proud of his timing when he was able to walk up to the gate for his flight and found that it was already boarded. He simply walked up to the open door, handed over his ticket, and was welcomed aboard the flight.

While the airport hadn't been very busy, this flight was moderately busy with about 60% of the seats on the 737 already taken. He grabbed the first open seat, which turned out to be the dreaded middle seat. His good mood was started to sour a little at the thought of riding in the middle seat when he heard the pilot announce that their flight was ready for departure, and that their flight today would take them northwest – by 111 miles. He wondered if there would even be enough time to get the landing gear up before they were ready to land. He knew that there would, but still, 111 miles was not a very long flight. The pilot announced that their flight time would be a total of 35 minutes gate to gate.

John once again berated himself for not thinking of this earlier. He was living in the Hawaiian Islands – islands, plural. There was a whole lot to the state that he had never seen. He couldn't believe he hadn't thought of this sooner. There was absolutely no reason for him to be bored. There was an entire world at hand, ready for him to explore.

The flight pushed back and immediately taxied out toward the runway. While the plane rolled along at a steady pace, John listened to the flight attendant, an old hand at the intra-island flights, tell a little bit about their destination.

"Kaua'i is the oldest of the five main islands in the Hawaiian archipelago. Of the major islands, which include Hawai'i, Maui, Moloka'i, and O'ahu, Kaua'i is the furthest west. Today, Waialeale, Kaua'i's principal volcano, has eroded and now stands at 5,148 feet at its peak. The volcano is home to one of the wettest spots in the world; the northern slopes of Waialeale get over 450 inches of rain annually. Approximately 60,000 people call Kaua'i home today and 98 percent of the island is undeveloped."

She continued her narrative, John figured mostly out of boredom. He wondered how many times a day she made this same flight, back and forth. "There are developments on three of the coasts of Kauai but the west side, predominantly owned by the park service, remains untouched. The developed areas are Lihue and the Coconut Coast, the North Shore, and the South Shore. The North Shore is hot, humid, and the site of Princeville, one of Hawaii's top luxury resorts. The big hotels here are expensive and exclusive."

John heard the expected mix of comments around him from the assortment of tourists. Scattered in the midst of the tourists were a few locals and a few obvious businessmen heading over to Kaua'i for the day who were doing their best to ignore the narrative, probably having heard it all several times already.

Remarkably quickly, their flight started its takeoff roll, becoming airborne in no time at all. He noted with pleasure that the landing gear was indeed retracted, listening to the sound of the panels closing once the wheels were locked into place inside the belly of the plane.

Climbing quickly to 18,000 feet, his plane made the quick 111 mile flight in smooth air. Almost before they leveled off they were starting their descent directly into the Lihue airport on Kauai. When their wheels touched the runway they quickly slowed and immediately taxied directly to the terminal. John was truly impressed with the efficiency of every part of this experience.

Since he was the last one to board the plane and was seated near the front, he was one of the first to get off the plane. With only his backpack and his sunglasses he didn't have to wrestle carry-on luggage out of the overhead bins. He made his way off the plane and through the terminal, doing one thing that he rarely if ever did – he stopped at an information kiosk (there was at least a real person working there) and asked for a recommendation for what to see.

The man behind the counter engaged him in conversation to try to get a sense of what he would enjoy.

"Welcome to Kauai! How can I help you?" the man asked.

"I'm looking for some ideas on what to do here for the day."

"I can help you out with that. Where you visiting from?"

"Oahu."

"Ah, one of the long-range travelers. You live on Oahu and you don't know what to do on Kauai?"

"I know, embarrassing but true. Does it matter that I'm a relative newcomer?"

"Maybe," the man joked with him.

"You look like a man who enjoys the outdoors. Am I right?"

"Right on the money."

"Well, then we've got something you've got to see. You got a car? If not, get one, and drive this route," he said as he highlighted a route on a map. You'll have to leave your car here," he indicated, marking a spot with a big yellow "X". It's 41 miles from the airport to the northwest end of Kuhio Highway. Unless you get there in the morning, you may not get parking close to the trailhead, but you'll find something. Be sure to lock it and don't leave anything valuable inside."

"You're looking at everything I brought with me," John said with a smile. "Hopefully nothing worth stealing."

"There usually isn't any problem, but you don't want to invite trouble, I always say."

John nodded, hoping the man would get on with the description. "The Na Pali Coast is a fifteen mile stretch of rugged coastline on the northwest shore of Kauai. In my estimation its one of the most beautiful and pristine coastlines in the world. The reason its remained so pristine is because it takes some serious effort to get there.

"From Ke'e Beach you have an eleven mile hike – eleven rugged miles – over the Kalalau Trail ending at Kalalau Valley. You'll work but trust me, it's worth every drop of sweat you'll shed along the way.

"A lot of it is inaccessible because of all the sheer cliffs that drop straight down, thousands of feet into the ocean. You ever hiked before?"

"A lot."

"You got some good hiking shoes on?" he asked looking down. John did.

"You got some sunscreen?" Another affirmative.

"Get yourself some water and some snacks. There is no potable water available anywhere on the Trail. You can do a little hike or a big hike. A four mile roundtrip hike will take you to Hanakapi'ai Beach. The beach there is washed away every winter but during the summer its huge and beautiful. Now the water is going to look really inviting, but don't you dare to go in!" he warned seriously. "There are some extremely strong currents that can wash away the best swimmers. Every year we lose visitors there because they think that it won't happen to them.

"If you hike eight miles roundtrip you can see a beautiful waterfall. To go beyond the Hanakapi'ai Valley you need to get a state permit. You'll eventually end up at Kalalau Valley. The first two miles are on a well-maintained trail. Beyond that it get more rugged. Most people can handle the two miles out and then two miles back. You look like you're up for it."

Nodding his head, John asked, "Can you recommend a place to pick up some water and some trail snacks?"

The man grabbed a notepad and jotted down a name and address. He handed it over to John. "This place is on the way. They've got everything a hiker needs – and a lot of stuff you don't need, too. Don't let 'em talk you into a lot of extras, but if you want it, they've got it. Now you remember to be careful. You seem like a nice guy so I want to see you back here!"

"I'll be careful. And thanks for the good advice," he said with a sincere smile.

"You just remember it and don't get yourself hurt out there."

"I'll be good," John said with a smile.

John easily got a car from one of the rental places – he picked one simply based on the line (or lack thereof). He was estimating that the drive would take him about an hour, not counting the stop for a few supplies. With traffic and his shopping stop it turned out to be more like two. He was hoping that mid-week in off-season that there wouldn't be a lot of people headed the same way he was – so much for hoping.

When he arrived there were a LOT of cars parked. "Ok," he said to himself, "maybe they're just day hikers." He found a place, parked his non-descript car, made sure it was locked – not that there was anything in it to steal – and threw his backpack of his shoulder.

For the first time in a couple of weeks he felt good. No. Actually, he felt great! He lived on an island and he was visiting another island, but it was different. He and Steve had gone hiking – back when Steve was around – but he was reconnecting with the sure, confident man he had always been. He wasn't cut out to be a house-husband. He was surprised he had lasted as long as he had without something to fill his days.

As the man at the airport had said, the first two miles of the trail were in excellent shape. John encountered a number of hikers, typically tourists who had gone the two miles and could go home and tell their friends and family that they had gone hiking in the backcountry in Hawaii.

Despite the others along the way, John was able to move along at a pretty fast pace. He kept himself in shape and had no problem whatsoever with the trail. As he had hoped, the "crowd" thinned out substantially after the two mile point. The quality of the trail also diminished, but John didn't care. It had rained the previous night – it was Hawaii after all – so the red dirt of the pathway was a bit muddy in places. Like everyone he encountered, his shoes were becoming red from the mud and pulverized red dirt. He didn't care – he was having the time of his life.

The scenery was spectacular, that is, if you liked hiking through a jungle, and he did. The trees, the birds, the abundance of vegetation, the periodic views of the ocean. He had chosen right when he asked for suggestions and then followed the old man's advice.

While most people were happy to go two miles, John had no intention of going just two miles. The trail grew more rugged but as the required effort increased, John's happiness increased proportionally. Fellow hikers were fewer and farther apart now which was just fine with John.

When he reached the waterfall he was blown away by the majesty, the spectacle, the immensity of Mother Nature at her best. He had seen a lot of waterfalls in his time but there was something about this one that just wowed him, along with just about everybody else that made it that far.

Like others, he took a break and had some of his water and some trail mix. He took the opportunity to take out his camera once again and try to take some pictures that would do the scene justice. He had brought an extra battery and memory card just in case. He checked the read-out on the top of the camera and saw that he had already taken around 200 pictures. Digital photography freed photographers from the horrible restrictions of film: all those rolls of film, being limited to only 24 or 36 pictures per roll, getting film safely through airport security.

This place was a photographers' dream come true. Everywhere you turned there was some natural beauty. Along the way he had seen caves at the beach, spectacular sand and boulders at the water's edge, sheer cliffs, and now this spectacular waterfall. John was happy that he had finally snapped out of his rut. There was no reason he should be miserable. He missed Steve but he didn't need Steve to go off and do things. He was a resourceful, energetic explorer with an entire world within his reach.

Depending on how you counted, there were eight islands in the Hawaiian Islands – eight island that you could set foot on, well, that some could set foot on. Beyond that there were something on the order of 1,600 islands or islandettes. You could only get to them by boat and once you got there most of them were restricted so that humans couldn't visit. Still, now that he had taken the first step he was ready to keep exploring, to see everything that Hawaii had to offer. He was going to become the master of day trips. Maybe he'd write a book, he thought before wondering how many tens of thousands of people who had make the trek before him thought precisely the same thought.

Refreshed by his break and his snack, John decided he wanted to keep going for a ways. He knew that every step he took was another step he'd have to take to get back to his car, but he felt the pull of the trail so strongly that he couldn't resist. And besides, the day was still relatively young – well, maybe.

John headed on a bit further, telling himself he would just go a little bit more. A little more turned into a lot more, but it was so spectacular that he just couldn't help himself. He grabbed hundreds of additional pictures, sat and felt at one with nature as he watched the waves break over the rocks at the bottom of the cliffs at one point. John was content.

He hadn't seen anyone on the trail in quite awhile. The beauty, the peacefulness of the whole thing, the physical exertion of the hike all contributed to John leaning back against a tree in the shade at one point and falling asleep. He had definitely not intended to do that but it just felt so good!

When he woke he was shocked to see the sun was setting! How long had he slept? John knew he had to get all the way back down – fast! There were no street lights in nature. "Damn! Damn! Damn!" he cursed aloud as he started back. He knew that no matter how fast he hiked, there was no way he was going to make it back so he knew that he had to find a place to hole up for the night and hope that there were no wild animals to come pay him a visit during the night.

He made it partway back before he gave up and picked a spot where he felt he would be safe from falling off a cliff or being trampled by hoards of wild animals – ok, maybe not hoards. Since he hadn't intended to be stupid and trap himself out in the wilderness that day he hadn't bought or brought a blanket. He did at least have plenty of water and food with him so he wasn't going to starve. And he had thought to buy a protective cover for his backpack (which held his very expensive camera) in case of rain.

So, with a bit of reflection, he didn't think the situation was as bad as he had originally thought. As he laid back he decided that it was actually rather nice.

As he contemplated life, the universe and everything he noticed that he smelled something. He sniffed the air a bit. Yes, there was definitely something off, something out of place. It was … maybe it was … smoke. He thought that maybe he wasn't alone out here after all. In the dusk he grabbed his backpack and followed his nose a little ways.

"Hey!" he called. "Anybody there?"

"Company! Come on in!" he heard.

Pushing aside some really bushy green thing he found two people sitting on the ground. And he found the source of the smell – they were smoking. But it wasn't typical cigarette smoke. Holy shit! He realized they were smoking marijuana!

"Hey, dude!" the guy called. "Come on over! Pull up some dirt and join us!"

"Hi," he said. "I'm John."

The man introduced himself and his girlfriend, but John was so distracted that he couldn't remember their names. Apparently the man couldn't either because he kept calling John "Dude."

"What'chya smoking?" John asked, hoping that it wasn't an inappropriate question.

"Some really good shit! Grew it myself. Harvested it at the peak of perfection. Prepared it myself. Here, try it," he said handing something to John.

John was seated on the dirt beside them at this point since it was getting so dark that he needed to sit while he could find the ground.

"Um, no thanks," John said politely, holding up one hand.

"Dude! You gotta try this! You've never had anything like this!"

"That's true."

"He's never smoked," the woman said in delight. "Babe, we got a virgin in our midst."

"No, it's true – never tried it before."

"What do you smoke?" the man asked, mystified.

"Nothing."

"Nothing? Dude? For real?"

"For real."

"You drink?"

"Sure. Beer."

"There ya go. This is just like beer only you don't have to get up to pee every ten minutes."

John considered the man's words, reflected on his day and the fact that he had always been the obedient man who followed the rules and toed the line. He had never been interested in trying marijuana before, but he had never been opposed to the idea. From everything he had seen and read, it was no big deal. Tossing caution to the wind, he said, "Ok. Maybe a little." Taking the hand rolled weed he said, "What do I do?"

Together his new best friends showed him what to do. John told himself he'd just have one puff. But that turned out to be like his intention to only hike a little farther. One was good so he tried it again. Maybe it was all hype – he wasn't feeling any different.

After some amount of time – who could tell how long – John was as stoned as his newfound friends. They discovered that John was a singer – or at least he sang – one couldn't call him a good singer even when listening stoned. But they were stoned so they didn't care.

As the evening went along they talked about the stars, God, elves, dogs, the President, the Himalayas, the presence of life on other words, and other deep topics. John didn't know how he had ever gotten along without his new friends – they were the best!

They ate the rest of John's provisions (weed made you hungry), talked some more about aliens visiting earth and them going to visit other worlds. There was something about being out under a clear sky with what looked like an infinite number of stars to contemplate that made some deeply philosophical.

One of them napped, one smoked, one talked, and they traded roles.

John was totally stoned out of his gourd. This was way better than beer ever thought about being. He told himself (not that he would remember) that he had to ask the guy where he could get some more of this stuff.

Sometime during the night the clouds rolled in and rain began to fall. The couple had a tent set up which they shared with their new best friend. The rain roused them all from their sleepiness and gave them reason to light up anew. The rain didn't really amount to much – just enough to wet the dirt and make the air more humid.

John slept in the flimsy tent wrapped around the man who was wrapped around the woman. Never in his wildest, non-stoned dreams had he ever pictured himself doing what he had done that day. Too bad he wouldn't remember all the details. All of his senses seemed to be cranked up in a good way. The smells of the jungle were heavenly, the purity of the rain drops, the muskiness of the red dirt. Everything had a smell.

John rolled over and smelled the dirt through the thin material of the tent, luxuriating in the cascade of flavors that rolled through this brain. Damn, life's good, he thought as he used the dirt as a pillow and fell asleep once again.

The trio of friends were awakened when the sun had risen to usher in a new day. But it wasn't the sun that roused them from their slumber – it was the thumping sound. A fast thumping sound that they all thought was a giant mosquito at first. John was having a hard time focusing. The man beside him said simply, "Fuck! Cops!"

The woman reacted instantly by tossing what marijuana they had left off into the nearby undergrowth. John's first thought was, "No!" but he was having a more difficult time than usual forming coherent thoughts. His first reaction was, "No! Don't throw it away! I want more!" The words didn't all make it out before they felt the downwash from helicopter blades and saw men rappelling down ropes to the ground.

It was hard to miss Steve as the first one down the rope. If Danno had been there he would have had a good name for the face that Steve had on that day. John hadn't seen this particular face. He couldn't decide if it was worry, fear, panic, or anger. Perhaps it was a bit of all three.

Professional Steve immediately yelled, "You hurt?" He checked all three people but they all denied being hurt or in need of assistance.

"What are you doing here, Steve?" John asked as he stood and gave the man a hug.

"I was so worried when you didn't come home last night. Chin was able to trace you through your credit card. When we saw the plane ticket, car rental, and hiking supplies we had a suspicion where you were. When I showed your picture around the airport a couple of people recognized you. We just kept looking. I was so worried you were dead or injured," Steve said, hugging John tightly.

"We're fine. A little wet, but otherwise fine."

Steve sniffed. "You reek of pot."

"Really?" John tried sniffing but got nothing different than what he'd smelled for the last 12 hours. "I don't get it."

"What have you been doing out here?"

"Communing with nature," the man beside John said.

Steve stepped back. John had no trouble identifying Steve's face this time: anger. "I spent half the night terrified you were dead and getting everybody out of bed and you were off getting high with two over-the-hill hippies!?! I got Search and Rescue out to find you!"

John smiled. "Thanks. But we're good."

Steve had not come alone. The others were there for a rescue so John went with Steve. The other two disappeared in the bush while Steve was attaching the harness to John's body so that he could be lifted to the waiting helicopter. One by one each of the men was brought up to the helicopter. From the inside John waved back to the jungle, hoping that maybe his new friends could see him. "Bye," he said a bit sadly.

Talking while flying in most helicopters was impossible. Steve sat stony silent, staring straight ahead. By that time John was awake enough to feel sad that he wasn't piloting the flight. The helicopter was, after all, what he had flown for thousands of hours. It just felt wrong for him to be a passenger, especially on this particular flight.

When they landed twenty minutes later Steve thanked the men and grabbed John's arm, pulling him across the landing strip. Finally free of the noise of the helicopter blades, Steve shoved John up against the wall of a building and yelled, "What the fuck did you think you were doing? Huh?"

"I went hiking. I went too far and couldn't get back before the sun went down."

"And who the hell were those two you were with?"

"They took me in and let me share their tarp."

"Smells like that's not all they shared with you." Steve noticed something sticking out of John's shirt pocket. When he checked it out he found that John was not completely out of pot but had a bit more with him.

"Hey!" John said with a smile. "That's good stuff."

"I can't believe you!" Steve yelled in anger bordering on fury. "I thought you were dead or dying! Why didn't you tell me?"

"Tell you?" John said in disbelief. "When did you think I was going to tell you anything? You're never there anymore." John was picking up some of Steve's anger and was starting to give a little of it back. "Just when could I talk with you? Huh? All you do is work! Long days. Late nights. All fucking weekend, too. I didn't think you'd even notice I was gone."

Steve threw his hands in the air and stepped away a few steps, scowling with fury. Steve walked back and forth in front of John trying to contain his anger. Dozens of thoughts were racing through his brain. He wasn't sure what to do. John waited. Suddenly Steve stepped back and said, "Turn around."

Not sure what Steve had in mind John complied. He was not at all prepared for what happened next. He felt something grab his wrists and before he could react his wrists were locked in a pair of handcuffs. He yelled, "Steve!"

He was too pissed, too shocked, to hear that Steve was telling him he was under arrest for drug possession. Steve was a strong man. John was no weakling. When Steve started marching John across the airfield John had no choice but to comply. He yelled at his partner. He struggled. He couldn't believe what was happening. Steve was not the only furious person at that point.

Somehow Steve got them on a Navy helicopter that ferried them back to Oahu. John tried to talk to Steve but again conversation on a helicopter just didn't work without headphones and microphones and they did not have either. So the two men spent the flight glaring at one another and growing more furious with one another.

When they landed Steve marched John across the airfield into a building where a very anxious Danny Williams was waiting. "Thank God!" he said, stepping forward to give John a hug. But one look at the faces of his two best friends told him something was wrong – seriously wrong. He saw John holding his hands behind his back and it took him a minute to figure out that John was handcuffed and that Steve was shoving him along, not stopping.

"What the fuck!?" Danny said. "Steve! John! What's going on?"

"Ask Super Cop!" John spit out, his fury barely contained.

"Shut up!" Steve yelled, shoving John a little faster. They proceeded to a waiting car that drove them to the jail where Steve had John locked up in a holding cell. Steve didn't file any charges and had no intention of doing such a thing, but he wanted to show John how furious he was. He thought that locking him up would do the trick. He succeeded in doing the exact opposite.

Danny yelled at Steve all the way to the jail and back to their offices, trying to convince the man to get John out of jail. Steve was silent, refusing to say a word or pay any attention to Danny's complaints. Danny disappeared for a few minutes before coming back and starting over again, yelling at Steve louder.

"You can try to ignore me," he yelled, "but I can assure you that I can keep on talking. Are you insane?!! What the hell did you do? What were you thinking!?! You locked your husband up in a jail cell! In anger! In a childish temper tantrum! And trust me, I had a child – I've seen childish temper tantrums. And that's what you're doing right now. Just what an eight year old would do."

Steve finally turned to face his friend and simply said, "Get out and mind your own damn business."

"You are my business! We're friends! John's my friend! We're all friends! You keep talking about how we're family! Well, let me tell you, family doesn't lock family away in a holding cell in some jail!"

"Enough!" he shouted. "Get out. I'm handling this. It's none of your concern."

"None of my concern? None of my concern? Oh, sure, just business as usual. You lock your husband up every day? You got some kinky side I didn't know about? Well, babe, let me tell you, I think you've gone a little overboard on this one. How long you planning to leave him rotting in that jail cell?"

"Long enough. Get out. For your own good, get out."

"Fine," Danny said, leaving the office. A couple of hours later Steve poked his head in the door to Danny's office and simply said, "I'm leaving."

"Oh? Where you going?"

"Jail."

"Jail?"

"Yeah, jail."

"Why?"

"To get John out."

"Oh? What's changed in the last few hours?"

"I've had some time to calm down. And hopefully he's learned his lesson."

"Learned his lesson? Hmmm," Danny said quietly nodding his head. "Ok. You go."

"I'm going," Steve said as he strode out of the office. It took him quite awhile to get to the jail. He was delayed by an accident and horrible traffic on his way. Finally there he identified himself and told the man at the desk that he was to pick up a man they were holding for him.

The officer behind the counter checked his computer in order to release the proper man. He read his screen for a few moments and then looked back to Steve. "I'm sorry, but he's not here."

Steve was confused. "He's not here? Where the hell is he? I left him here a couple of hours ago and said I'd be back for him."

"He's not here," the officer calmly repeated to Steve.

Steve was confused and growing angry and a bit concerned. He went deeper into the station until he found the friend who had agreed to hold John for him. "What's going on? I came back and the guy at the front said he's gone! Gone where?"

He'd known Steve for over a year. While not great friends, the two had been friendly and got along very well. This time, though, the man was very serious and formal, "I'm sorry Commander McGarrett, but the prisoner has been transferred."

"Transferred where?" he yelled.

"I don't know. He was picked up quite some time ago. I thought you had arranged his transport."

"No!!" Steve shouted. "Where'd he go? Where'd they take him?"

"I don't know. They didn't tell us."

"Why not?"

"We're a little busy here, in case you haven't noticed," the man said, pointing to the bustling room in which they stood.

Steve was shocked, scared, angry, and a bunch of other emotions all at once. He pulled out his cell phone and called Danny.

"Williams," he heard his partner answer.

"He's gone!" Steve said abruptly.

"Who's gone?"

"John! He's gone! Someone picked him up! I can't believe this!!"

"Steve! Calm down."

"I will not calm down! Somebody's kidnapped my husband."

"You threw him in jail! Now you suddenly care about his safety?"

"Danny, shut up!"

"Then why'd you call me?"

"I need you to help me find him. Call Chin and Kono. I need their help figuring out who took him and where they've taken him."

"No."

"No? No??!?"

"No. You don't need to do that."

"Why the hell not?" he shouted into his phone.

"I'm sure he's safe. He was rescued from captivity by the kindness of a friend."

"Danny, you're making less sense than usual. What's going on?"

"The governor had him released."

"The governor? What the hell is she doing involved in this?"

"Well, when you locked him up she became involved. Someone from her office was at the jail when you hauled him in. He knew John and reported the whole thing to the Governor. She is the Governor of the state after all. She has ultimate responsibility for such things."

"Danny. Where is John?"

"I don't know. Probably off trying to calm down a bit. The last time I saw him, he was pretty pissed with you. And I don't blame him. I would be, too, if I was in his shoes – which they took away when he was locked up – _in a JAIL CELL! What were you thinking?!?_ " Danny shouted.

"I've got to go find John."

"Babe, you found him – and then you shoved him away."

Danny's words struck a chord in Steve and he felt the blood rush out of his head. He felt a bit light headed. In anger he had done something stupid and he was just beginning to grasp the full impact of the situation. "I've got to go," Steve said as he disconnected the call and raced back out to his car.

Not knowing where else to start, he fought the traffic and drove home, hoping that he would find John there. Instead of finding John, though, he felt that something was just "off." He looked around, not knowing at first what was different. There were subtle changes to the room. When he looked carefully he finally noticed that things John usually had around the room – were gone.

He moved from room to room. John's clothes were gone from the closet. His laptop computer was gone. His passport was gone! Everything that John had had, which was never a lot, was gone. The lightheadedness that Steve had felt earlier came rushing back once again with more force, more fury, more aggression. "What have I done?" he said aloud as he sat on the sofa for a moment to try to figure out what to do next.

Steve grabbed the phone and started calling everybody he knew to ask if they had seen his husband. Nobody had, or admitted that they had (which really was true). He finally called the governor's office but was told that she was in a meeting and was unavailable. He left an urgent message for her to call him as soon as possible.

His last call was to Danny.

"Williams."

"He's gone, Danno," Steve said softly.

"What do you mean, babe?"

"I mean he's gone. All of his stuff is gone. He's gone."

"Where are you?"

"Home. He's gone. Everything's gone."

"Oh, fuck," Danny muttered in frustration. He knew this whole episode was going to go badly, but he had no idea it was going to go quite this badly.

"Where is he, Danny? I've got to talk to him."

"I don't know, Steve. I really don't. He hasn't called me or returned any of my voicemails."

Steve noticed something, standing to check. "He's not gonna call. His cell phone is here."

"Good. That means he didn't take everything. He always keeps his cell phone close."

"No. I think he left it deliberately. He's going off-grid, off-radar. He knows I could use the cell phone to track him, to find him."

"Nobody can live off-radar these days. You've got to interact with 'the system' to do just about anything these days. He'll have to use his credit card or his ATM card."

"No. He's always kept a lot of cash on hand, hidden away here at the house. Knowing him he probably had some stashed in a number of places. The man is good. He always had contingencies. If he wants to disappear, he can do it." Steve took a breath, close to tears. "I blew it, Danny."

"Yes, Steve, you did."

"What have I done?"

"Babe, I don't know. This is bad," he quietly agreed with his friend. "I'm coming over there."

"No," Steve said. "I'm going out to look for him."

"Where are you gonna start?" Danny asked, honestly not know what else to say.

"I don't know. I've called everybody I know. What I don't understand is how he got here and got his stuff and was gone so quickly."

"It sounds like he had help."

"Did you …?" Steve started to ask.

" _No! I was with you trying to talk some sense into you!_ "

"I've got to go do something – look somewhere."

"Call me," Danny said as the phone line went dead. He sighed, not knowing how his two best friends had crashed and burned so suddenly right before his eyes. It had felt like watching a car wreck in slow motion – he saw everything happening but he was powerless to stop it once it started.

When he had gotten out of bed that morning, this was about the last thing he expected to happen. He didn't know how they did it, but John and Steve were one of the most rock solid couples he knew. If ever there were two people who were made for one another, it was John and Steve. They were alike and at the same time so totally different – they complimented one another. They seemed to weather any storm and come out stronger – until this one. Danny honestly didn't know if they would survive this one. This was bad.

He knew he was in this up to his neck. He had, after all, been the one who called the governor and told her that John was in jail. John was one of her favorite people. Danny was actually surprised that she hadn't stormed the jail herself and ripped the bars off the door to get him out. She had already heard the news and had already ordered his release.

She had been livid beyond words when Danny had called. Not that he had asked her for help but that the situation existed in the first place. She was shocked, appalled, furious when she heard what was going on. She had immediately hung up. Danny knew full well that she would move heaven and earth to get John out of that jail cell – after all, he never should have been in there in the first place; he hadn't been charged with any crime and no report had been filed.

A few hours later Danny was lying in bed watching TV – a TV that his friend John had bought for him – when his phone rang. One glance at the Caller ID told him it was Steve. Before he could even speak, Steve said, "I can't find him anywhere. Nobody has seen him – or will admit to seeing him. He's got friends from one end of this island to the other because everybody likes him and he's done favors for everybody. He just disappeared into his network and nobody will tell me anything."

"I'm sorry, Steve. I wish I knew what to say."

"Have you seen him? Talked to him? Do you know anything about where he is?"

"No, I haven't seen him. No, I haven't talk with him. And no, I don't know where he is. This all happened so fast I don't have a clue what to tell you. Where are you?"

"Outside your door?"

"What?!" he yelled, jumping out of bed. When he opened the door, he found Steve standing with his cell phone to his ear. "What are you doing? Get in here!" he said, disconnecting their phone call.

"Is he here?" Steve asked hopefully.

" _No! I just told you! You didn't believe me?!?_ "

"No, I did, but I was just hoping …"

"You look exhausted. Sit down," Danny ordered, "before you fall over. If you tip over I can't pick you up by myself."

"You'd always ask John for help," Steve said with the hint of a smile on his face. "We were the Three Musketeers." He closed his eyes and slowly shook his head back and forth.

"Ok. You're dead on your feet. Get into bed. You're not going anywhere in this condition."

"Got to go find John," he protested.

"In the morning, after you've slept. Now get into that bed right now. Did you get any sleep last night?"

"No."  
Steve realized that he was indeed absolutely wiped out, exhausted, running on fumes. He peeled off his t-shirt, untied and slipped off his boots and soaks, and then dropped his pants and underwear. Standing naked beside the bed he asked, "Can I use your shower?"

"Of course," Danny said. "Go. I'll find a towel for you."

Danny's apartment didn't have a closet so his clean clothes and other things were all piled in, well, piles. He knew he had towels; it was just a matter of find the right pile. He didn't have that much stuff so it wasn't an onerous task. Mission accomplished, he took the towel into the bathroom for his friend. "You awake in there?"

"Yes," Steve said as he shut off the water and pulled back the curtain. Wiping water drops from his face, Steve said, "Your shower is disgusting, Danny."

"You're welcome to shower at your own house!"

Grabbing the proffered towel, he said, "Just saying. Mold can kill you, ya know."

"I'll take my chances."

"Just saying." Hanging up the towel, Steve made his way directly to Danny's fold out sleeper sofa. He sprawled across the bed which was smaller than the one he was used to sharing with John.

"Move over, you animal! I've got to sleep there, too." Danny complained. He was also less than thrilled to be looking at his boss' naked butt, even though it was a lovely butt – and a very married butt.

Danny shoved him, Steve reluctantly moved a little, and the two settled down to get some sleep. Steve was a quiet sleeper – every SEAL was; it was simply a survival skill. Those who snored couldn't hide, were captured, and killed. Simple. SEALS did everything quietly. Danny wasn't as quiet during the night but with the constraint of limited space he spent his night sleeping on his side which cut down on his snoring. When he was on his back his snoring could wake the dead.

The next morning Steve was out of the apartment and off to search for John again. He distributed pictures of the man and asked everybody he encountered or knew or vaguely knew if they had seen him. On the back of the photo he'd had his cell phone number printed along with a request for anyone with information regarding the man in the photo to call him immediately.

But no one admitted to having seen John. John had friends and his friends were loyal. They had accepted Steve as a friend because he came with John, but John was their first and most important friend. So everybody protected John's privacy. A lot of people knew where John was likely to be but no one admitted even a hint of their knowledge. Steve was growing increasingly frustrated at his lack of progress.

Chin and Kono tracked John's Jeep to the airport where it had sat since the morning of his flight to Kauai. It hadn't moved an inch. Like his cell phone, John had apparently abandoned his vehicle, knowing that it was a way he could be tracked electronically. Steve knew that John loved his Jeep. He couldn't imagine the man walking away from the vehicle.

Paying the parking fee, Steve drove the Jeep to his house where he parked it so that it was ready when John came home. He couldn't think about any alternative scenario than the one where John came home after he had cooled off.

Days passed with no word. Steve blanketed the city and then spread out around the island. He had posters printed which he hung everywhere. John's friends and friends of friends made sure to take the posters down as soon as Steve was safely out of sight. Steve continued to search but he got nowhere.

More days passed. As the days turned into weeks Steve fell into a funk like none he had ever experienced before in his life. He had returned to his house once, but otherwise he couldn't bring himself to go inside the house. He had stayed with Danny until the man kicked him out. After that he had moved into a cheap motel where he simply slept. All of the rest of his time was given over to searching for John.

After three weeks Danny, Chin and Kono were worried. After four weeks they were really worried. After six weeks they decided it was time to stage an intervention. What they didn't know was how you conduct an intervention with a SEAL who could break all three of you without working up a sweat. Regardless of the risk, though, they knew that they had no choice. Their friend was spiraling downward into self-destruction and they had to do something to stop the train before it crashed.

Steve hadn't spent much time in his office over the last month. He had let everything slide. His colleagues had picked up the slack as much as they could and for the most part were able to cover for him, but there was a limit to what they could do.

When Steve walked into the office the next time, all three of his colleagues sprang into immediate action. Kono told him to sit while she locked the doors into their office. She, Danny and Chin pulled three chairs so that they could sit a foot away from Steve facing him.

"Guys. What's going on?" Steve asked.

"This is an intervention," Danny said with a deadly serious look on his face. "You are our friend. We can't stand to keep watching you self-destruct. You've got to snap out of this and focus on keeping the rest of your life on track. You're gonna get fired if you don't snap out of this and do some work soon."

Steve wanted to argue but couldn't. He knew he hadn't paid attention to his job for the last month or more. He had spent all of his time at first searching for John. When that didn't turn up any leads he had started to drink beer all day.

"Look at yourself!" Danny yelled.

"Maybe I don't want to look at myself!" his friend snapped back at him. "Maybe I don't like what I see anymore. _I screwed up! You all happy?_ "

"No! We're not happy!" Danny shouted in exasperation. "You are hurting and we are hurting right along with you. Yes, you screwed up – big time. But you're not the first man in history to ever screw up. Nor will you be the last. You did your screw up in a particularly outrageous way, but that's for another day. Right now, we want Steve back."

Steve sat slouched in his chair, his eyes closed. He hadn't shaved in a couple of days so he was right at that in between stage between 5:00 shadow and beard – in other words he just looked scruffy.

"When was the last time you took a shower?" Danny asked more calmly. "Or washed your clothes?"

"I don't remember."

"Well, you better get focused on those things again because everything else is not just gonna stop and wait for you to get back on track. It's time, Steve. I'm sorry, it hurts me deeply to say it, but it's time. Your mopping around and feeling sorry for yourself has got to end. You've got to wrap it up and get back in the game. Yes, you made a mistake. No, this doesn't change that. But you have to live until the time comes when you can sort it out and make it right."

Steve perked up a little at the last sentence. "You think it can ever be right again?"

"Yes, I do. What you two have is special."

"Had. What we had," Steve muttered.

"No. _Have_. It's still there. It's just got a little dirt scuffed over the top of it at the moment so you can't see it as clearly."

Steve was quiet but was hearing what his friend was saying and Chin and Kono were echoing. The looks on their faces told him that he had to pick himself up and grow up before he hurt them as well. He nodded his head slightly and said simply, "Ok."

"Ok," Danny agreed. "Now come on. My place is close. You can shave. We'll get you showered and find some clean clothes for you and then we'll come back and do some work. You with me big guy?"

"Ok."

Danny Williams gave his colleagues a half smile when he left with Steve in tow, a smile that transmitted a variety of questions, including, "Do you believe him? Is this really going to work? What happens next? Can he really do what he said?" For all his bluster, Danny was scared.

From the time when he had slept over at Danny's place, Danny had a pair of his pants and a t-shirt all washed and ready for him to get dressed. In his bathroom when he handed the clothes to Steve as he stepped out of the shower, Danny had slipped and said, "Jesus! Look at you!"

"What?" the man asked as he toweled himself dry.

" _You're getting fat!_ All that beer does a number of a man's waistline, babe."

Danny didn't know it, but of all the things he had said that day, that one statement was perhaps the most forceful reminder to Steve to snap out of it and get his life back on track as much as possible.

An hour later, Danny and Steve were back at the office. Steve was freshly shaved and scrubbed and dressed in clean clothes. Chin and Kono were pleased to see their old boss starting to peak through the man sitting in front of them. They spent an hour gathered in the main room of their headquarters reviewing new and ongoing cases before they wandered over to a nearby restaurant to grab lunch together.

The remainder of the afternoon was spent at the office with Steve trying very hard to reconnect and catch up on the many things that had happened while he'd been away. By 5:00 he looked exhausted. Danny offered to drive him home, but Steve refused simply saying that he could walk.

"What do you mean, walk? You can't walk all the way to your house from here!"

"I’m not staying there now."

" _What!_ " Danny shouted.

"I haven't slept there since John left. It all reminds me of him and of how much I screwed up, how I drove him away because I was stupid."

" _I don't fucking believe you, McGarrett_ ," Danny said with overwhelming frustration. "Come on!" he ordered.

"I told you I could walk," Steve protested.

"We're not going there. Come on!" Danny said as he led Steve to his car.

Steve quietly followed, climbed into the passenger seat of Danny's car, and rode along quietly, curious about where they were headed. With afternoon traffic it took them an hour before they pulled into a parking lot by a beach Steve didn't know.

Danny got out and motioned for Steve to follow him.

"Where are you going, Danny?" Steve asked, falling in beside him.

"We're taking a walk because you're scaring the crap out of me. And as we all know, that takes a lot. But, babe, you're clearing that hurdle with room to spare today."

"You hate the beach, Danny," Steve observed.

"So shut up and recognize the supreme sacrifice I'm making for you!"

They walked down to the water's edge and stood quietly watching the waves come in and crash onto the beach. In the distance a couple of guys were out on the water trying to catch a wave that could give them a good ride. One guy succeeded and expertly rode a wave in almost to the beach. Steve watched, admiring the man's skill. When the surfer was close to shore he jumped into the water and pulled his board onto the beach. Steve's eyes went wide with a mix of emotions – it was John! It was John! He had a beard. He had lost weight (if that was possible). He looked older. But it was John.

John had been focused on the wave, his board and his ride so he hadn't paid any attention to the beach until he was almost upon them. When he spotted Steve and Danny he froze. Steve had a huge smile on his face that was getting bigger by the second. He wanted to hug John but John grabbed his board, turned his back and started walking away.

"John!" both Steve and Danny cried after him, but he simply kept on walking. They followed along behind him, coming beside him easily, but he simply continued walking, ignoring them to the best of his ability.

Danny jumped in front of him and forced him to stop. " _All right. Enough!_ I've watched my two best friends self-destruct over the last couple of months and it's been just killing me. It's killing all of us. We can't take it anymore. It has to stop now. John, Steve screwed up – big time – and he's very, very sorry. Steve, you need to apologize to John and beg his forgiveness."

"I'm sorry," Steve said without pause.

John refused to look at Steve, staring at Danny instead. "I trusted you!" he spit at Danny in anger. "You weren't supposed to tell anyone where I surfed."

"I didn't tell anyone."

"Oh? How do you figure that one?"

"I didn't tell him – I drove him. He didn't know where we were going. After our little intervention with him earlier today and after I heard that he isn't living in the house anymore I knew it was time for drastic measures."

John wanted to ask but kept quiet for a moment. "Why isn't he in his house anymore?" he asked Danny, ignoring Steve.

"It reminds me too much of you and I couldn't stand being there without you."

" _And whose fault is that?!_ " John said venomously, for the first time directing his comment to Steve. "Huh?" he asked angrily.

"Mine," Steve admitted without hesitation.

"You threw me away and it just took me a while to figure it out. I can't believe how dense I'd been! Were you fucking some other guy, Steve? Was that what was going on? You fucking Danny?"

Both Steve and Danny protested at the same time, "No!"

Danny kept going, " _John! You know better than that!_ He's been a wreck for weeks. He hasn't worked. He's been drinking. He won't go home. He's living in some fleabag motel. He's a wreck!"

John simply shook his head.

"Please, John!" Steve implored, almost begged. "Please talk to me. Please, let me tell you how sorry I am. Let me tell you how much I screwed up."

John turned to him and said, "I know how much you screwed up – I was there. Remember? And I've got plans tonight." As he started to walk away with his board in hand he shouted, "Come back tomorrow. If I'm here then you can talk. If I'm not here, just go away."

"I will never stop loving you!" Steve yelled. "I've always loved you from that first day on the beach."

John threw his surfboard to the parking lot in anger before turning back to Steve. " _Love? Is that what you call handcuffs, a jail cell and **emasculating** me in front of half of Honolulu? Love? Fuck you!_ " he shouted at Steve in anger. "Fuck you!"

Danny was terrified that John was about to hit Steve. When he saw John angrily shove his middle finger into Steve’s chest he was convinced that Steve was about to lash out and snap the finger in half. But Steve stood as still as a statute.

Without another word, John turned, grabbed his board off the ground, threw it on top of a seedy old van filled with a bunch of surfer guys, and climbed into the back with some of them. All of them were half his age but greeted him by name with adoration and respect for a senior member of the tribe. He was what they aspired to be – a beach bum who surfed all day. To them, John was a God.

Before he closed the door he called back at the two men, "Twenty-four hours. No guarantees." He closed the door of the van and sat between two gorgeous young, shirtless men. From their tans it was obvious they spent a good deal of their time on the beach. Steve saw John put his arms around both of the men and pull them close as he gave a glance back at Steve and Danny.

"I can't fix this, Danny," Steve said morosely.

"Yes, you can. I'm not sure exactly how yet, but you can do anything. You're super SEAL."

"No, he died the day I killed my relationship."

" _Shut up!_ Didn't you hear what John said? He said give him twenty-four hours and then be back here tomorrow. I think that's a _huge_ concession on his part. He's thinking. If he didn't want to ever hear from you again he wouldn't have said what he said. He would have just sent us away. But he didn't do that. He said he needed twenty-four hours to think. _That's huge, big guy. Huge!_ "

Steve had no choice but to agree.

"Now, come on. I've got to get this fucking _sand_ out of my shoes," Danny complained as they moved off the beach. "Oh, crap! It's in my socks, too. I _hate_ the beach."

"You wouldn't if you lost the tie, the pants, the shirt, the shoes, the socks."

"You mean everything that makes me _me_."

"No. Those things don't make you. They're just things that help to define a part of you."

* * * * *

The next day Steve was a basket case, pacing and checking his watch every 20 seconds all day long. He got absolutely nothing done all day long. Danny drove him back to the beach, arriving over an hour early so he could pace there. After a half hour of pacing Danny saw a young surfer approach them cautiously, giving them a look that was a cross between pissed and scared. Danny was very curious about what was going to happen.

The young guy seemed to fluff up his courage. He walked straight up to Steve with a pissed off look on his face. The guy was all of maybe 20 years of age. He drove straight to the point. "Who the hell are you and what did you do to Johnny?" he demanded.

"Excuse me?" Steve said.

"He cried last night. I've never seen him so shaken. What the hell did you say to him yesterday? He's my friend and you won't be messing with my friends. Do you understand me?"

Steve wanted to snap the kid in half but looked at his partner instead. Shoving Steve aside, Danny said, "Way to go! Any man that stands up for my friend John is a friend of mine!" Danny put out his hand, which the surfer guy took cautiously. But the young man would not be distracted.

"I'm still waiting for an answer. Are you here to harass him some more? Because if you are, you've got to go through me to get to him."

"You and what army?" Steve asked a bit belligerently.

"That would be us," they heard a voice behind them say. Steve and Danny turned to find about a dozen surfer guys arrayed behind them looking ready for a rumble. They were all in their early 20's and had bodies that one got from spending days on end surfing – muscular, taut, and tanned.

Danny tried to defuse the situation. "You all friends of John? Thanks guys," he said with a smile. “He’s the best.”

That was not exactly what they were expecting to hear.

"I'm still waiting. Why are you here? You're not gonna do any more damage. You hear me?"

"Listen. He's my husband and I'll …"

A major transformation happened on the guy's face. "You're Steve?!?"

"Yes," he said, a bit confused. He was even more confused when the guy put out his hand to shake and smiled. "Wow! John talks about you all the time. Nice to meet you, dude."

"He talks about me?" Steve asked hesitantly.

"All the time."

"Does he have anything good to say about me?"

"All good, dude. John said you're a great surfer. Where's your board? The waves are awesome today."

"Don't have it with me today. Maybe another day. I need to talk to John."

"What was going on yesterday, dude? He was a mess last night."

Danny nodded and said, "This one, too. Too bad they're both so fucking stubborn they won't just talk to one another."

Steve turned to glare at his friend.

"And you. What's with the look? Get over 'the look'."

"What look? I don't have looks," Steve said. He turned back to the surfer guy who seemed to be in charge and asked, "Have you seen John? I really need to talk with him."

"Sure. He's right over there," the guy said, pointing to a picnic table a couple hundred yards away, shaded by a stand of palm trees.

Without a word Steve started walking over to the lone figure. John made no move to get up or even look his way, but he had clearly seen the entire confrontation that had just occurred.

Danny stayed with the surfer guys and said, "Come on, guys. I know you can do this. Be adults for once in your life and just talk to one another."

"Johnny's an amazing guy. He can do just about anything."

"You, my friend, are very wise. He's the best you'll ever meet. Trust me. I've met a lot of people in my life and there are none better than him." And Danny immediately had a dozen new friends. Unfortunately it was on a beach – with sand. But for his friends he would do it – he'd do just about anything for those two.

Across the way, Steve sat down on the picnic table top beside John and simply said, "Hey."

John mimicked the phrase. "Hey."

They were quiet for a moment.

"You've got some good friends over there."

"They're good guys. Thought they were gonna kick your butt for a few minutes," he said with a hint of a smile.

Across the way Danny was saying, partly to himself and partly to the guys arrayed around him, "Come on, Steve. You can do it. Tell him you're sorry. Tell him. Come on, big guy. Just do it."

Steve snorted at the idea of someone kicking his butt. "I could have taken them."

"Oh yeah? There's, let's see, there's eleven of them. All you had is short stuff over there."

"He might be small but he's scrappy."

"I know," John agreed.

There was silence for a moment.

"You came back. Thank you," Steve said.

"I'm here."

"I'm so sorry that I made you cry last night."

John looked at him. "Who said I cried?"

"Your friends over there."

John was quiet. "I thought they were asleep."

"Wherever you go, you make friends. And those friends love you, because you're a great guy. One of the best. And I love you so much."

"Yeah," John said, still not looking at Steve.

"Can you ever forgive me?"

"You hurt me, Steve. You emasculated me in front of some of the most masculine guys on the planet – search and rescue guys, helicopter pilots, cops. I'm diminished in their eyes. I'm less of a man than I was in their eyes. You took away something very precious that I may never be able to get back. You took away my standing. And I'm so pissed because I really liked the life we were building. I really thought we were gonna grow old together. You took that away from me and I don't understand why! I'm so confused. And I'm pissed that I let myself be so vulnerable that somebody could do that to me."

John finally turned to Steve when he heard the man softly crying.

"I love you more than life itself. Please, I'm begging you, please come home."

John was quiet for a moment. "I can't do that." More quiet. "I might let you invite me to dinner. If it's someplace nice."

Steve wiped away his tears and wrapped his arms around John, pulling him into a hug, fresh tears falling on his partner's shoulder. John soothed him with sounds that weren't really words and a hand stroking the back of his head.

"I'm so sorry," Steve repeated.

"I believe you. I don't understand what you did. But I believe you're sorry."

"Please come home. I miss you so much."

"No, Steve. We need to take this slower than that. Dinner first. I'm still waiting for my invitation."

"Please come home."

"One step at a time. I'm not sure I'll ever be there. Little steps first."

Much to his surprise, Steve got down from the table and dropped to his knees in the sand, looking up forlornly. "Please, John. I love you. Please come home. I can't go on without you."

"Get up!" John said.

"Not until you agree to come back home where you belong. I miss you so much."

"Are you really not sleeping at the house?"

"I can't. Not without you. I haven't slept there since you left. It's not right without you there. That's our home."

"No. It's your house, Steve. I was just a guest in your house."

"No. You're wrong." Steve reached under his shirt and pulled out a piece of paper which he handed to John. "It's our house – our home."

Hesitantly John took the piece of paper and looked at it. "What did you do?"

"I had the house put in both of our names. You're my husband. I'm your husband. It's our house. It's only a home when you're there."

Steve could see John melt before his eyes. He stood. Steve stood. And much to the relief of all of their observers, they wrapped their arms around one another and just stood in one another's embrace. The emotion of the moment and the presence of the other washed over them both – and they simply held on.

The surfers and Danny all cheered which made both Steve and John laugh along with their tears.

"You make friends everywhere, don't you?" Steve asked, knowing the answer before he asked the question.

"Worked with you, didn't it?"

After the requisite amount of time by straight male standards, Danny shouted, "Hey! Do I need to turn the hose on you two? Come on! I'm standing here with sand in my shoes."

Both John and Steve laughed. "I see that some things never change."

"Like my love for you – some things never change. Come home."

"No, Steve."

"Please."

"I don't know if I'll ever be able to go back."

"Please don't say that," Steve implored his husband. "I screwed up so badly."

"Yes, you did. On a galactic scale. I've forgiven you, but I also realize that we can't go back to what was because that's gone. Still, I'm willing to talk and to try to find something new that might work. That plus let you try to make it up to me," he added with a shy smile.

"Please, John! Please don't close the door on me."

Danny was still standing with the surfers, watching something going wrong. "No! Come on guys! Don't blow it now. You've come this far." He started stomping across the beach to his two friends. As he got closer he started speaking firmly and authoritatively – shouting, in other words – at them, waving his hands, "Come on guys! You can do this! You're both miserable without each other. You were doing so good a minute ago. What happened?"

"He won't come home, Danno."

"I told him he could invite me to dinner but I haven't heard an invitation yet."

"John, will you have dinner with me – every night for the rest of my life?"

"But let's start with one. And it had better be a nice one if you want a second date."

"You want to date?" Steve said. "But we're married!"

John said nothing but simply looked at Steve and arched his eyebrow. Danny smacked Steve on the back of the head and said, "Yes, he wants you to court him, to curry his favor, to woo him!"

John smiled. "Thank you, Cyrano."

John stood and waited patiently, a hint of a smile on his lips.

"Will you have dinner with me tonight?"

"I don't think tonight will give you enough time to plan something really kick-ass special. Wooing takes a bit of preparation, not just a burger and beer at a beach hangout."

"You're really gonna make me work for this, aren't you?"

"You bet your sweet ass I am," John said seriously.

"Do it, dude!" he heard the surfer guy instruct. "He's John! He's one of a kind. He deserves the best."

"Hey, I'm a guy! What do guys know about wooing someone?" Steve said toward the surfer guy.

"You're super SEAL," Danny said. "You can infiltrate a third-world country and assassinate a war lord, overthrowing the government, and then get out in time to have a beer as you watch the sunset. I think you can handle this."

"All right," Steve said, rising to the challenge. He dropped to one knee, took John's hand, looked up at him, and said, "John. Would you do me the honor of having dinner with me tomorrow evening at 7:00?"

"7:00 – is that when you're picking me up, or when the reservation will be?"

"Picking you up? I want you to come home with me now."

"I'm not that kind of guy. I don't put out on the first date."

John could see a confused look cross the faces of several of his surfer buddies. "Don't worry guys – I'll explain it later."

"John, will you have dinner with me tomorrow evening at 7:00. I'll make it a night that will live in your memory for years to come."

John considered the proposal, looking to his guys for some advice. Several heads nodded. "For years to come? That's a tall order, but the guys say I should do it. Very well, I'll be here at 7:00 tomorrow evening ready for dinner. But I expect something good!"

Steve grappled him in a hug that was close to bone crushing, lifting him off his feet and spinning him around. "Only the best for you, babe. Only the best."

The journey to recovery was underway. It would not be an easy road or a simple journey but a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step – sometimes accompanied by a hug.

 

* * * * *

 

The next evening, true to his word, John Sheppard was waiting in the parking lot overlooking the beach where he surfed each day. His surfing posse was there waiting with him, nearly as anxious as he was for the event to be underway.

Not entirely sure what Steve would concoct, John was dressed half-way between casual and formal, wearing a nice white summer suit. A light colored open neck shirt only helped to heighten the beautiful tan of his skin from the long hours out on the water. His sunglasses, of course, added an air of mystery.

The man appeared casual and relaxed to an outside observer, but inside he was anything but relaxed. He was, in fact, more anxious than he had perhaps ever been in his life. He loved Steve but he really was serious about needing to be wooed. Steve had betrayed him in a very public manner and he was not going to immediately go running back as if nothing had happened – something significant had happened that made him re-evaluate everything about them, their relationship, and the future. He did not have all the answers, not by a long shot. Tonight would give him more data, but at the moment he just wanted his jitteriness to go away. Even when flying combat missions in war zones he couldn't remember ever feeling quite so anxious.

About every 30 seconds he checked his watch or asked one of his buds for the time. They were all becoming a bit concerned when 7:00 arrived and there was no sign of anyone arriving. At 7:01 a vehicle approached their location. John was surprised to see his Jeep!

When Steve parked in front of him, there was a smile on both men's faces. "Is this my Jeep?" John asked in disbelief.

"Yes. I kept your baby safe until you were ready," Steve said, holding out the keys for John to take.

John took the keys and snickered. "Ok. I won't give you grief for being late."

"I'm not late!" Steve protested. "I'm to the minute on time."

"Still setting your watch by those navy clocks?" John asked as he sat in the driver's seat and ran his hands over the steering wheel of his beloved Jeep. "Missed me, baby?" he asked.

"Yes," Steve said, even though he knew the question was not intended for him.

Steve leaned in the driver's door and gave John a gentle kiss. "I've missed you more than you could know."

"I think I have an idea. My network has kept me up-to-date with how you've been doing after I left."

"And what did they tell you," Steve asked.

"That you were falling to pieces."

"And you didn't come back to help me pick up the pieces," Steve said as half question, half statement.

"I had my own pieces to pick up and try to put back together."

"Fair enough," Steve said, understanding.

Steve reached into the back seat of the Jeep and handed John a beautiful bouquet of tropical flowers, dominated by John's favorite dendrobiums.

"You remembered," John said with surprise.

"Of course. Beautiful flowers for the most beautiful man in the world. For the man who brought beauty into the darkness that was my existence. For the man who gave me a life worth living."

"Ok," John said with a broad smile, "you're doing pretty good so far." Steve beamed with delight. "Now, where are we going?"

Steve walked around to the passenger seat, motioning to John's surfer buddies as he went, gesturing to a white van that was parked to one side in the parking lot. He was trying to tell them to go to the van and he hoped that they got the message. He knew that his message had gotten across because John's posse started moving toward the indicated area. Steve knew that the driver would take it from there and get them to the intended destination.

Steve gave directions to one of the landmark hotels on Waikiki. "Nice!" John said with an appraising nod of his head. "Ok. Score two points for the big man." Steve had smiled so much in months. It felt good.

And he wasn't the only one who felt good. John felt good being behind the wheel of his beloved Jeep once again. It felt good to be driving. He enjoyed the feel of the road, the shifting required going up and down the hills and around corners. Steve had chosen well for the beginning to their evening. He wondered what he had in mind for the next part.

They arrived in Waikiki after the evening rush hour was over. The streets of Waikiki were rarely quiet, though, so there was the usual traffic to contend with as they made their way to the hotel. Pulling up in front of the place, John handed the keys to the valet and gave the guy a nice tip along with instructions to treat his Jeep well. His admonition was part request and part threat. He was pleased when he saw the young man nod his head in understanding.

Steve led the way inside to the bar where they started their evening with two Mai Tai's – pre-ordered, of course – along with more of John's favorite orchids. "Do you remember making these around Christmas?" Steve asked.

"Of course. I remember everything." Another statement that could have dual meanings.

"Um, good," John said as he tasted this bar's interpretation of the classic drink.

"Have you ever been here before?" Steve asked.

"No. I don't think I have. Remember, unless you've taken me somewhere, I haven't seen much of Hawaii – with one exception that is forever burned into my memory."

Steve dropped his head and took a deep breath. "John. I'm so sorry about that. I made a mistake. Please forgive me."

"All I want to know is why. Why did you behave so strangely? So out of character. What the hell was going through your mind when you did that? I've tried to figure this out since that morning, and I've got to tell you, I'm totally stumped on this one."

Steve was not by nature nor training a man who easily shared, especially when it came to feelings and emotions. Nonetheless, he knew that to get what he desperately wanted he had to be honest and share with John what had happened.

"It's simple really. You weren't the first member of my family to be found on a trail."

"Excuse me?" John said, confused.

"Mary."

"Go on," John urged.

"One summer my dad had Mary and me home for a visit. She was going through an especially angry, rebellious time. One night she disappeared. We found her several days later on a trail like that one on Kauai, stoned out of her gourd with some 'friends'. She and dad had a huge blow-up. There was lots of screaming. Lots of anger. He didn't know how to deal with a teenager. And she didn't know how to – or even want to – deal with the father that had become a stranger to us. It didn't end well. They didn't talk for well over a year. And when they did talk, their relationship was never the same again. It was a nightmare. I felt utterly helpless.

"When I got home that night when you weren't there – and yes, I had become totally fixated on work. I had been ignoring you. I had been taking you for granted. I was a real prick. I wasn't there when you needed me. I wasn't there to talk. I wasn't there to run with you or do any of our usual stuff. I was absent, and I'm sorry about that.

"When I got home that night and didn't find you there, I was concerned. When it got later and later and there was no sign of you, I got worried. All I got was your voice mail when I tried to call you. When it got to be 1 am and there was no word I got seriously worried and started getting people out of bed to begin the hunt. It didn't take Chin long to find where you had gone – sometime I want to hear about that, by the way."

"Gladly," John said.

"I was terrified that you had fallen and gotten hurt. Or worse yet, were dead. I was terrified as I bullied people into getting me to Kauai and getting out to search for you that morning. And when we found you, it brought back all of that last time on that trail with Mary. It all came rushing back at me like a freight train. I felt relief. I felt anger. I felt hurt for my dad and Mary. I felt anger for them. I felt helpless all over again. I had watched their relationship crash and burn, suffer horrible damage, and I was terrified that history was about to repeat itself."

While Steve had explained, John had quietly and gently placed his hand on top of Steve's on top of the bar, giving him a reassuring touch.

"Damn," he said, "you're doing pretty well. I didn't think that I would ever understand why you were such a total, crazed prick that morning, but I think I understand now."

Steve looked up at the man who held his hand and said with his most imploring look. "I love you, John. I love you more than life itself."

"Love you, too, babe." The two men stood and hugged, enjoying the touch of the body that had once been so familiar but had since grown so foreign. When they stepped back, John tried to lighten the moment. "If you keep giving me Mai Tai's with no food I'm going to be drunk in no time at all."

Steve arched his eye brows. "No!" John said. "That means, 'feed me.'"

Steve looked at his watch and nodded his head. "Ok. We can go eat."

"So where are you taking me?" John asked, curious. "Some place here in the hotel?"

"Nearby," Steve answered cryptically. When they had left the bar, the bartender called ahead and gave the word that the guests were on their way.

Steve led John out onto the beach side of the hotel and put his arm around the man, holding him close. "I've missed your feel. I've missed your smell. I've missed your smile. I've missed everything about you."

John stopped and said, "Oh, crap! I left my flowers back at the bar!"

"Don't worry. There'll be more."

"So where are we going?" John asked again.

"You've already asked me that," Steve teased.

"Yes, and you have yet to answer the question. Shall I ask again?"

"No need," Steve said. "We're here."

All John could see was a dark lawn that separated the hotel grounds from the beach – until suddenly lights all around the area came on and a huge crowd of people shouted, "Surprise!!"

John's eyes went wide with shock. He looked around at the large crowd of people. Then he realized that he knew some of these people. No, correction – he knew ALL of these people! Everywhere he looked he saw friends.

Hawaiian music started to play, torches were lit, and John turned toward Steve. "What have you done?" he asked incredulously.

"You make friends with people everywhere you go. So I thought, what more would John want than to have a chance to spend an evening with his friends. So, my love, this is your dinner. This is your night. Welcome to your own personal Hawaiian luau!"

John laughed – a hearty, approving, joyous laugh. He threw his arms around Steve and lifted the man off the ground in joy. All around them the crowd applauded and cheered. When he set Steve back onto the ground, people started to come forward and hug John, welcoming him, telling him how much they had missed him, how much they loved him. Steve stuck right by his side.

"Danno!" John said when it was Danny's turn for a hug. For a small guy, Danny certainly was strong and gave a hug that someone remembered – especially one of his best friends, John.

Steve interrupted the hug-fest. "There'll be plenty of time for that as the evening goes on. Time to get the party started," he said, leading John to two seats at a giant square table.

"Jacket," Steve said, holding out his hand. "Give me your jacket." When John slipped off his jacket, Steve took it and then said, "shoes." When those were removed he said, "shirt." At that point John looked dubiously at Steve. When he saw that the man was serious he started to unbutton his shirt. It was at that point that he noticed Danny was standing beside him holding another shirt for him to slip into – a flowery, tropical shirt – an aloha shirt that matched the one Danny was wearing!

"Danno! Where's your tie?"

"Hey, for you, babe, no price is too high."

John started to lean forward to hug the man, but Danny held up his hand and said, "Shirt first, if you don't mind." John slipped the shirt on, finding that it fit perfectly. Once it was buttoned up, he then collected on his hug from Danny. When he turned back to Steve he found that somehow Steve had also changed shirts and was wearing a matching shirt. For the first time John noticed that everyone in the crowd was wearing tropical wear.

John laughed again as Steve got him seated. Steve's hand stayed on John's as he said, "Showtime."

With a yell and a burst of drum music, a series of absolutely gorgeous, hunky, scantily-clad Hawaiian men ran toward them into the center of the table, performing a dance with intricate, choreographed moves, complete with flaming torches. The tempo built until they finished with a flourish that brought applause from everyone watching.

As John and Steve applauded, John leaned over and gave his partner a kiss, "Love you, babe! I just noticed, but isn't that dance usually done with women?"

"Usually, but I thought a different interpretation was required for us. You approve?"

"Hell, yes! Did you see the pecs on that one guy? Damn! Talk about putting an old man to shame!"

"Nobody will ever put you to shame in the body department, John. You are the hottest man in the world to me."

"Damn, two more points," he said.

"Only two?"

"Ok, three."

"That's more like it."

"Love you, babe!"

When John looked back he was shocked to find that his surfer buddies were in the assembled crowd. Spotting them, John burst out in joyful laughter, waving at the guys. He jumped up and ran over to his buddies, one by one wrapping them in a bear hug before racing back to return to his seat beside Steve.

Food started to appear with an army of shirtless, tanned waiters circulating through the assembled crowd with trays of food. John lost track of how many different taste treats he had before the meal was complete. Mai Tai's and other drinks flowed freely. When they finally finished eating he leaned back, stuffed.

What luau would be complete without pineapple upside down cake? John was thoroughly blown away when what looked like the world's biggest pineapple upside down cake was carried out and placed on a table in the center of the square. Everyone in the crowd was awed by the sight. Cameras were flashing everywhere as people tried to get pictures of the cake to go with the stories that they would tell later.

John clapped and laughed and absolutely wallowed in the joy of the evening. As the cake was cut and passed around to the guests, people who had earlier not had a chance to hug the guest of honor started to mingle and get their turn at greeting the man of the hour.

At precisely 11:00 Steve appeared at John's side, wrapped his arm around the man's waist, and turned him toward the ocean.

"What?" John asked, confused.

"Watch."

At that moment they heard a boom and seconds later saw fireworks light up the sky. "Steve! How did you do that?"

"Anything for you, babe!"

The display was brief – fireworks were expensive, after all – but they were the perfect finish to the perfect evening. As guests called it an evening and started home, John gave Steve one more hug, but this time finished with a toe-curling kiss. When he pulled back, John saw Steve smiling with tears in his eyes.

"Let's go home, babe," John said.

"Tomorrow. We're staying here tonight." Pointing upward a little, he said, "In that room. More of a suite than a room. Want to see it?"

"Yeah, I would. Let's go to bed."

"I thought you'd never ask! After that last kiss I was afraid I was going to scare some of the guests if they looked down at my crotch!"

"Me, too. Me, too."

"Just one question," Steve said.

"Yes?"

"Does this mean I get a second date?"

"I'm calling the drinks earlier our first date and this dinner our second date. After all, remember, I don't put out on the first date."

"I like the way you do math!"


	5. Rudolph With Your Nose So Bright,  Won't You Guide My Sleigh Tonight?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Out of the blue, John gets a job - with some unintended consequences.

Since Steve was closer when the phone rang he answered the call. When he heard a familiar voice at the other end of the line his first instinct was that the call was for him.

"Hello, Governor. What can I do for you?"

"Nothing. Is your husband at home?" Steve was still quietly amazed that a Republican governor was so open and accepting of his and John's very same-sex relationship. She always referred to John as Steve's husband and was one of their staunchest defenders.

"He's right here," Steve said, handing the phone to John.

"Hello?"

"John. Governor Jameson."

"Yes, Governor. What can I do for you?"

"I need your help."

"Sure. What's wrong?"

"Nothing, especially if you help me out. I assume you've heard the news about the big Pacific Rim Economic Summit that we're hosting here in Honolulu next week." John couldn't decide if that was a statement or a question, so he decided to agree.

"Yes."

"That's where my problem comes in. The head of my special security detail was just in an accident and isn't going to be able to head up my security detail for the conference."

"Sorry to hear that."

"Would you be able to help out and head up the security detail in his absence?"

John's eyes went wide and his mouth involuntarily dropped open as he heard her question. When he was able to collect himself he said, "I'm not sure I'm qualified, Governor."

"Yes, you are. I've heard from some very reliable folks that you are eminently qualified."

"Why me?"

"Because I need someone good that I can trust."

"I don't know any of the personnel or the procedures or any of the plans for the event," he protested.

"That's why I need you to agree tonight so that we can get you in here and get you up to speed starting tomorrow."

"I'm not sure what to say."

"You say 'yes' – that's what you say."

"Can I have a little while to think about it?"

"Unfortunately, no. Security for this event is extraordinarily important and I need to get this issue resolved tonight. If you won't help I need to find another alternative."

John sighed. "Can you hold on a second?"

"Sure. Talk to Steve. I'll hold."

He covered the mouthpiece of the telephone with one hand while he quickly explained his dilemma to his partner. "She wants me to take over her security detail for the economic summit next week. The guy she had in charge was just in an accident."

"Do it," Steve said without hesitation.

John nodded, thought for a few seconds and said, "Steve told me to do it, and as you know, I do everything he tells me to do."

The Governor had no problem hearing the guffaw from Steve, even on the other end of the phone all the way across town. She laughed but remained focused. "So you'll do it."

Again with the statements that were not really statements or questions. "Is that how politicians played their games?" John thought to himself. "Only for one week?" he clarified with the Governor.

"Yes. Just through the conference that is over one week from tomorrow night. And you'll of course be compensated for your time and efforts."

"I may come to regret this, but as a personal favor to you, ok." Two could play the same power games.

"Wonderful!" she said, applauding his decision. "Can you be in my office tomorrow morning at 9:00 to start getting up to speed on the details?"

"Sure. I'll be there at 9:00. Talk with you then." He disconnected the call and sat quietly for a moment.

"About time you got a job, anyway," Steve joked.

"I know. We're so tight for money with only one income in the house," John teased.

"Any idea what this entails?"

"Not a clue. But I'll find out tomorrow morning at 9:00. Can I get a ride to work with you?"

"My love, you can ride with me anywhere, anytime," Steve said, leaning over to give his partner an upside down kiss.

The next morning at 9:00 John reported to the Governor's Office and was introduced to his security team. Over the course of the next few days they reviewed every iota of the plans for the Economic Summit, in particular Governor Jameson's schedule. John wanted to know where she was going to be at all times, and beyond that wanted to know everyone who was going to be in proximity to her during those times. In other words, his team had a lot of work to do.

On the day before the summit was to convene, John scheduled a run-through with his team. That morning when he got ready for work he did something Steve had never seen – he wore a dark suit, white shirt, and tie. Danny would have been so proud. Only because he knew they were there did Steve spot the microphone on his lapel and the earpiece connected to his radio providing continuous connection with their Central Command and the other members of his team.

" _Damn!_ " Steve said, admiringly. " _You look hot!_ "

"Yeah, I'm gonna be hot wearing this all day." As they stepped out the front door, John put on his mirrored sunglasses and assumed an absolute air of mystery and intrigue. The look on his face was absolutely neutral and stony solid. The man was perfect for the task at hand.

"You got your gun?"

" _Yes_ , mother, both of them. And my extra ammo as well."

"Good. Handcuffs?"

"Yes. Want to see them? Want me to demonstrate how they work?"

" _In your dreams, flyboy._ "

"Don't push it superSEAL. I've been trained in advanced interrogation techniques."

Leaning in for a kiss, Steve smiled and said, "Me, too."

"Get in the fucking car!" John said.

Together they rode to work where John was unfortunate enough to run into Danny Williams just arriving for work. "Look at you!" the man crowed with delight. "You in a suit! And a tie! You look mighty fine, babe!"

"Of course I look good, Danno. I look good in anything."

"He looks pretty good in nothing as well," Steve tossed into the conversation.

"Don't need to know," Danny tossed back. "Nice tie! I didn't know you even owned a tie. Or for that matter, knew how to tie a tie."

"I don't own a tie. This is one of yours. I borrowed a couple of yours to get me through this assignment."

"Hey!" Danny yelled. "How did you get my ties?"

"Where else do you think I could get a tie in Hawaii? I checked all the clothing shops up and down Waikiki and you know what? Not one of them sold ties."

" _So you stole my ties!?_ "

" _Borrowed_ , Danno. I assure you that as soon as this assignment is over I'll be returning them to you. Although I may use them to tie Steve to the bed once before I give it back. I am feeling the need to explore his kinky side."

Danny threw his hands up in the air, closed his eyes, and took a step backwards. "Keep the ties," he said softly. "I could never wear them again knowing that you tied up your boyfriend with something that's on my neck. Every time I wore the things I'd think of you two doing unspeakable things."

"Your choice, my friend, but I don't plan to wear ties again anytime soon."

"You're both freaks," Danny complained good naturedly.

"But you love us anyway, don't you Danno?" John asked, tossing his arm around his friend's shoulder as they walked down the sidewalk. Danny did likewise and gave his friend a hint of a smile.

"Detective Williams," Steve said from his position behind the two men. "Are you feeling up my boyfriend?"

"Excuse me," Danny said, "but if I was gonna feel someone up it wouldn't be an arm around his shoulder. I'd be grabbing his ass, his goodies, his thigh, squeezing his nipple, something like that."

"His goodies?" Steve asked with amusement.

"Yeah! You know. His goodies," Danny explained, vaguely casting his eyes downward.

Steve was working very hard to keep a straight face and not burst out laughing. John was doing likewise, but he had had more practice lately. "Yeah, Steve. You know, my gun and ammo – my goodies."

"Oh, _those_ goodies."

"Yes, Steve. I know how guns make you tingle all over and float your boat."

" _Float my boat?_ Danno! Where do you come up with this crap?"

"What? You know what I mean! You're little dingy!"

Steve held himself more upright and said slowly, " _My little dingy?_ "

"You know – your inflatable dingy."

John jumped back into the conversation. "I don't think the term 'little' could be used to identify Steve's dingy. He's more like a nuclear-powered attack submarine." John leaned over to his friend so no one else could hear and said, "Long. Thick. Rock solid. Never runs out of power. Able to dive to great depths. Able to fire torpedos."

Danny broke away from his friend before shouting, "Freak!" As he walked into the building, Danny called to Steve, "Yo! Dingy boy! You coming?"

"Got to go, babe," Steve said, giving John a quick good bye kiss. "Make me proud."

"Don't I always?" John said.

They smiled and each headed off to their respective jobs.

While Steve and his team spent a relatively quiet day in their offices, John and his team spent their day doing a run-through. Every step the Governor was scheduled to take on the two days of the conference was scoped out, walked, checked out from every conceivable angle.

In every room, in every hallway, in every conceivable location, John and his team not only surveyed the site but also made contingency plans for the unexpected. Wherever the Governor was scheduled to or was likely to be was checked, rechecked, and triple checked, and then backups were formulated.

In preparation for the event, the local facility had gone all out with a vast array of local greenery, including potted palm trees, blooming orchids, hibiscus, bird of paradise, and things John recognized but couldn't name. Unfortunately, from a security point of view, each of those bits of decoration presented another place that John and his team had to view as a possible sniper cover.

Security for the event was robust, to say the least. Any event that attracted heads of state, representatives of other nations, and more staff than one could shake a stick at, was bound to require a lot of security. John and his team maintained close contain with the leadership of the overall security. It was at that topmost level that plans were made for the most deadly and disruptive possibilities – bombs, suicide bombers, biological attacks, and other weapons of mass destruction or disruption.

Gas masks were procured, checked, and stored at a variety of points throughout the facility, not only for attacks of a biological nature but also for the possibility of tear gas. John and his team learned where those locations were and how to attach a mask to the Governor while physically moving her as fast as possible away from an attack. In the event of protestors, which seemed inevitable at such events, tear gas was always a possibility.

After that they rounded out their day with a visit to the firing range for some target practice. John knew that all his team were certified in the fire arms they carried, but he wanted to see personally how each member performed. Satisfied that the skills of his team matched the paperwork, he had them do one more drill. In this last drill the firing range was animated with flashing lights, images of crowds, multiple moving props that presented a whole new range of problems in hitting their target.

John and his people were good. The Governor had chosen well when she had placed John in charge of her personal security detail. At first the members of his team thought John was going way beyond what was necessary in preparation for the assignment, but after a few days they all realized that they were learning things they had never known. Initial grudging acceptance turned into eagerness and respect for John's insight and instinct.

When the day drew to a close, every single member of the team was exhausted. The sun was down when they all made their way home that night. The event was scheduled to begin at 10:00 the next morning. John's orders were for everyone to meet at the conference site the next morning at 5:00 am for final coordination with the other security details and for one more walk through. At 8:00 they were scheduled to move to the Governor's home to take responsibility for their charge.

Since he had shared a ride to work with Steve that morning, John took a cab home – he hadn't thought that one out very well, he realized. When he walked in the door, tie pulled loose from his shirt collar, Steve was lying on the couch watching something on TV.

"Hey, babe," Steve said. "I thought you'd been abducted. Do you know what time it is?"

"Not really."

"About 8:00. You just put in a 12 hour day."

"No wonder I'm so tired."

"Have you had anything to eat?"

"Um … probably. Maybe about 10 hours ago."

"John!" Steve scolded as he gave his partner a hug. "Get out of those clothes, take a quick shower, and I'll get something for you to eat."

John smiled, joking, "But, Steve, you can't cook!"

"But I can work the telephone and the microwave. I had Chinese delivered about an hour ago. I'm good at warming things up," he said with his arms wrapped around his partner's waist.

"True. You are very good at making things hot."

"I have my uses. Now, go! Shower! If you stay you're gonna get all hot and bothered."

"I'm fine, but you could be in trouble."

"Go!"

Five minutes later John was back wearing a baggy pair of running shorts and nothing else. If the man hadn't looked so totally beat, Steve would have jumped him on the spot, starting with his tongue on John's nipples. But the man was tired, hungry, and had to be back to work probably super early, so Steve behaved himself and was a responsible adult (which sucked!).

John ate whatever Steve placed in front of him, barely tasting it, going completely on autopilot.

"What time do you start in the morning?"

"I told my team to meet at the site at 5 am."

"I thought the Governor didn't start until 10?"

John just looked at his partner like the man was dense. "That's right. And when would you start if you were in my position?"

Steve nodded his head, understanding John's obsession with detail and verifying that he had done everything humanly possible to assure the Governor's safety and security.

A half hour later the two men fell into bed and once again Steve restrained his libido, knowing that his partner needed sleep more than sex. Steve was so proud of himself since John was looking especially fetching tonight.

The next morning John's alarm went off at 4 am. He jumped in the shower, skipped breakfast, got himself into his business drag, which included ten minutes to get his radio attached and wires threaded. That didn't count the time it took to check his weapon, his ammo, and get his second weapon strapped to his left leg inside his pants. Finally all assembled and ready for his marathon day, he was about to turn off the lights and head downtown when he saw Steve standing in the hallway.

"What are you doing up so early? I tried to be quiet so I wouldn't wake you."

"You didn't wake me. I wanted to see you, tell you to be safe today, and drive you downtown. You know that parking is restricted all around the meeting site."

"Are you sure you want to go out this early? The sun won't even be up for over an hour yet."

"If I didn't want to do it I wouldn't have volunteered. And for the record, I want to be everywhere you are." Steve gave him a quick kiss, swatted his be-suited butt and said, "Come on! You're gonna be late! And I've heard your boss is a real prick."

"Oh, yeah? Where'd you hear that?"

"Cop rumor mill. Most reliable source of good information," Steve joked.

Since it was so early there was hardly any traffic. Roadblocks started several blocks from the meeting location, but with their badges they were able to get in so that Steve could drop John off within a block of the site. When they parted, John leaned into Steve's window and gave the man a toe-curling kiss.

"What brought that on?" Steve asked.

"Love you, babe. Don't ever forget that."

"I never do and never will. John, you're suddenly scaring me. What's going on? You got some gut feeling about today?"

"Not really. Just out of practice at being in the hot seat, I guess."

"You sure that's all?"

"Would I lie to you?"

"If you thought you were protecting me, of course you would."

"McGarrett! You wound me," John said, holding his hands over his heart in mock pain. "Now, go home. I have to go work for a living. We can't all lounge around the house until all hours of the morning."

Steve turned his truck around and headed back home, only slightly uncomfortable about their most recent conversation. If he hadn't been so confident in his partner's skills with a weapon, with his team, and with himself, Steve would have been worried. But he knew that John was the best.

At precisely 5:00 John met with the three other members of his security team to get their final debriefing from the overall security chief. That was followed by a 6:00 tie-down meeting with all security personnel working the event in any capacity. Last minute threats were reviewed and assessments shared before John led his team through one final walk through of the areas where they would be spending time during the day.

At 7:00 they grabbed a quick bagel and coffee before heading over to the Governor's office to escort their charge to the opening of the conference. After days of preparation and practice, the morning went off like clock-work. Everyone did exactly what they were supposed to do at precisely the moment they were supposed to do it in precisely the manner that had been practiced.

The group lunch of economic leaders was torture for John and his team simply because their charge was front and center as the host of the conference. They were not able to surround the Governor as they would have liked. But they were still required to be in the room which was torture. They had to ignore the smell of the food (which smelled quite good), they had to deal with the boredom of countless dull, boring speeches by an array of pompous windbags, and they had to constantly be on alert for the slightest hint of a threat.

After two and a half hours of sheer torture they were all delighted to be on the move, even if it was only to the restroom. John insisted that an agent sweep the room first, that another agent accompany the Governor into the restroom, and that the men of the team remain vigilant at the door. The only good part was that most of the delegates to the conference were male and therefore they had limited traffic in the women's restroom.

The remainder of the afternoon was given over to smaller group meetings and some one-on-one meetings. John used the time to one-by-one send his agents off to grab some food and take their own much earned bathroom breaks. He, of course, did not take a break, instead grabbing a gulp from a bottle of water along with a banana while standing behind a privacy screen in the room where the Governor was meeting. His teammates wondered how the man could survive without a bathroom break. Had they asked he would have told them that as a pilot in single passenger fighter jets you learned strong bladder control. Others said he simply had the bladder of a camel.

John was quietly grateful when the meeting broke up at about 6:00. But their day was not over. The evening featured a dinner at the Governor's mansion where she was hosting 15 heads of state and their entourages. After a 13 hour day, John and his team got a glorious half hour break after delivering their charge back to her home. They grabbed a small space outside on the lawn where they could sit back and put their feet up for a few minutes.

The caterers were busy setting up for the dinner which was planned for the beautiful backyard of the Governor's home. John snagged one of the caterers and looked pitiful enough to get four bottles of water for him and his team along with some crackers and cheese. Luxury fare it was not, but none of them needed or wanted luxury at the moment.

With so many dignitaries expected, federal level protection had been arranged for the site and the entire evening by the US State Department. While John and his team were no longer front and center they were still planning to attend and be available, although they all knew that if their services were needed there was a catastrophic crisis unfolding.

When the dinner wrapped up at 10:00, John sent his folks home for a well-earned night's sleep. "You all did great today, folks. I know none of you have ever worked something like this before but you would never know that by watching how well your performed today. You made me proud. And as a reward you get to do it all over again tomorrow." That remark earned light laughter from the three agents.

"At least tomorrow doesn't start quite so early for us. With the first session at 2:00 tomorrow afternoon the Governor will spend the morning at her office. We don't technically come on duty until 1:45 when she leaves her office to head over to the conference. Based on how today worked, let's meet at the site at 10:00 for final debrief and walk-through. Go home. Get some sleep. Just do it quickly!" he joked as he sent them away with his thanks.

After running on adrenaline for most of the day, John was starting to crash. He was never so grateful to see his partner as he was when he exited the Governor's Mansion to find Steve waiting at the front gate. With a tired, surprised half-smile, he asked, "What are you doing here?"

"I came to take you home. You look dead on your feet." He guided John to his waiting truck and drove them quickly home where he put John into the shower before putting a plate of some sort of food in front of him at their kitchen counter.

"So, I take it your day went ok."

"It did. No unexpected incidents or events." After taking a couple of bites of his dinner he asked Steve, "Can you tell me why I ever agreed to do something like this? I'm getting too old for this shit."

"Simple – you're a soft touch and the Governor knew how to play you."

"Don't let me do anything like this again. Ok?"

"Deal."

"Unless we get to do it together."

"Deal again," Steve said with a smile. "What time do you need to be out of here tomorrow?"

"We start at 10, so if I'm up by 8 and out of here by 9 I should be ok."

"A leisurely morning. Might even have time to have sex in the morning."

"Definitely when this thing is over."

"Deal again," Steve said with a smile.

After a half hour of catching up and decompressing, Steve pointing his husband toward the bed and was not at all surprised to see the man sound asleep within 30 seconds of his head hitting the pillow. Steve set his alarm based on the timetable John had given him, but was not expecting to need the device. He, after all, had had a standard day so he expected to be awake long before the alarm even thought about ringing.

The following morning John was actually up in time to go for a quick run with his husband before showering, dressing once more in suit and tie, and heading into town. Once again Steve drove him without question, giving the two men a little more time together. While John had been working over the last week, Steve had noticed how very much he missed having his spouse around. When he came home from work the house felt empty – wrong. Steve shared John's desire for this short-term assignment to be finished at the end of the day.

The day unfolded much the same as the previous day with briefings, debriefings, plots, twists, counter-plots, and egos. John could tell he was tired because the egos of the prima donnas were starting to get to him. He prided himself on being calm and collected most of the time, but today some of the petty demands of some of the heads of state seemed just that – petty. John wanted to tell them that they were there to do some serious work – to prevent a financial meltdown – but he kept his mouth shut and counted the hours until the day would be finished.

At the appointed hour John and his team made their way to the Governor's office to escort her to the final day of sessions. Transfer from the office to the venue went off without a hitch. John stuck close to his charge, blending in as much as possible. Since the suit he wore fit him to perfection and was not a cheap off-the-rack special but in fact was a top name brand, he was in fact dressed like most of the participants. In fact, he was dressed better than a couple of the participants.

When the afternoon session wrapped up they moved their charge to the closing ceremony which was planned for a beautiful courtyard area with waterfalls, greenery, palm trees, and enough tropical feel that it almost seemed like a remote part of the countryside. Unfortunately, as sometimes happens in late afternoon/early evening, Mother Nature did not cooperate. A torrential downpour started just before the guests were to move outside for their refreshments.

Contingency plans had been made for just such an occurrence but still the contingency plans were just that – contingency plans. No one really thought they would need to be put into place until they actually were moved front and center. The last minute change of plans meant moving their charge down a hallway to a ballroom that had been set aside as a backup location.

Many of the delegates were being moved at the same time so the hallway was crowded with people, all talking and complaining about the rain. And that was when it hit him. John felt his internal radar start going off like crazy. He had a sixth sense for things out of the ordinary. Before he could identify what it was, he knew that something was wrong.

Putting one hand firmly on the Governor's right shoulder he stopped her forward momentum and spoke quickly with his team. "Look alive, people! Something's …" Before he could finish his sentence all heads turned to the right when a women dressed as one of the wait staff yelled something unidentifiable, ripped her shirt open to reveal a very large and powerful bomb – and blew herself up.

John had seen suicide bombers before so he knew how gruesome the sight would be. With just a few seconds to react, John threw himself on top of the Governor and shoved her to the floor, covering her with his body. Simultaneously he screamed, "Get down!"

The reverberation of the bomb accompanied by the smoke and raining debris followed almost immediately. He heard screams coming from every direction but he couldn't concern himself with those people at the moment. He was immediately on his feet, pulling the Governor to her feet and lifting her bodily off her feet, rushing head long for the nearest exit. Other security teams were doing the exact same move with their protectees.

Beside a large, draping banyan tree, John set the Governor on her feet and quickly checked her over, inquiring about injuries while he looked and felt all over for signs of injury, bleeding, or bruising. "What happened?" she yelled.

"Later. We need to get out of here in case there's another round. Kick your shoes off!" he ordered.

"My shoes? Do you know how much these cost?"

"Unless you can run in them, I don't care! Kick them off!" Grabbing her arm he spotted one other member of his team running flat out toward them. Taking up positions on either side of the Governor, each holding one of her arms, they ran to one of the police barricades where John commandeered a half dozen HPD officers to take charge of the Governor. Others were constantly appearing and joining in the protection detail.

John was torn. He knew he should accompany the Governor but at the same time he wanted to get back into the center to look for survivors and to find his two missing team members. In the end he sent his one team member back while he got into a police car with the Governor. With his weapon drawn so that he was ready for anything, he ordered her down out of sight. When she didn't immediately comply he yelled, "Down!! Now!" in his best hard ass military voice. It worked because she immediately dropped down out of sight.

"Hospital!" he yelled at the guy driving the car. "Get us out of here!"

With lights and siren a motorcade formed with five HPD vehicles pushing quickly through crowded streets to the nearest hospital. Five minutes later (actually four minutes and forty-eight seconds, but who's counting?) their vehicle slid to a stop at the ER entrance to the hospital. John was instantly out of the car pulling the Governor inside.

Someone saw John looking dirty and bedraggled – and holding a gun – and screamed. "Get a doctor for the Governor!" he screamed, moving the ER staff into immediate action. "Call Security up here now!" Pointing to half a dozen of the HPD officers that had followed them inside the ER he started giving orders which were immediately followed. He got the Governor into an empty exam room and positioned officers at all entrances and exits to the ER, ordering them to get another perimeter of security set up outside the hospital.

A young doctor appeared – really, how did they all get to be doctors when they were still so young? – followed by an older doctor who was clearly in charge of the ER. With no preliminaries, no hysterics, the older one sorted the scene out immediately, looked to John and said, "What happened?"

"Bombing at the Economic Summit. You could be getting a lot more traffic pretty quick. Check her over and we'll get out of your way so you've got room for others."

The doctor checked out the Governor, who looked as bedraggled as John did. Her beautiful suit was torn, her hair was flying every which way, and somehow she had something that looked like soot on her face. And she only had one shoe. Somehow she had removed the other shoe and was holding it in her hand.

The adrenaline rush she had experienced was running out so she happily sat down on the exam table and sighed. "John, did you see what happened? It all happened so fast."

"One of the waitresses was strapped with explosives. She blew herself up. I couldn't make out what she yelled. It was no accident. She was targeting one or more of the attendees."

"You saved my life. You tore my best suit! But you saved my life. Thank you."

"You're welcome."

"I need to know what's happening back at the summit. Somebody find out if anyone's hurt."

They were not able to get out of the ER as quickly as John had originally hoped. His instincts had been right once again. The Governor had a laceration on her neck that required stitches, disinfecting, and bandaging. Before long the ER was abuzz with activity as ambulance after ambulance roared in, discharging stretches with patients in a variety of states. Keeping an eye on his charge, John stood in the doorway to the exam room watching as much as he could. Some of the injuries that were brought past his location was serious. Some were minor. A couple he could tell with a glance were gone – no ER or doctor could save them.

With the onslaught of patients, the two doctors ran out of the Governor's room the second they were finished so that they could start the triage work on the growing crowd. It was getting too busy for John's comfort level so he told the Governor that they were leaving. Ordering HPD to drive them to her house, John got the Governor into a waiting patrol car. The moment he had her inside the gates and into the front door of her house, and the moment he was assured that her usual home security was in place and was supplemented by a hefty infusion of HPD officers, John left and got a ride back toward the site of the blast.

Finally putting his weapon back in its holster, John ran from the point where he was dropped off – it was too chaotic to get all the way to the center. The scene was utter devastation. The windows from hallways toward the street were all gone – simply blown out. There was a huge hole in the floor from where the explosion had pushed out in all directions, including downward. John walked through the scattered debris, past a number of bodies covered with white sheets, awaiting removal.

Making his way to where he had been standing when the blast occurred, John started looking at the bodies and body parts that littered the area. Despite his hopes to the contrary, he found what he feared. One of his team members was lying face down – dead. The blast had sent debris flying in every direction. A huge piece of metal had been driven into the man's back, piercing his heart and most likely killing him instantly. John let out a huge sigh and dropped his head in grief over the loss of someone so young, someone with so much potential, someone with so many years ahead of them yet.

The radio earpiece somehow was still in his ear. Now that he was back inside the building it was going crazy with voices. He focused on the voices, trying to sort out some of the messages in the onslaught of information. One voice cut through all of the others. John recognized the voice of the overall head of security. "I need all security who can hear me to assemble in the Command Center ASAP." He repeated his message twice more.

Once again John found himself torn. He did not want to abandon his colleague. It just felt wrong to go off and leave the young man alone. John didn't leave his people behind. He also knew he couldn't move the young man since he was now part of a very active crime scene. So John did the best he could do at the moment. He removed his jacket and laid the expensive piece of clothing over the top of the man's head. He then made his way to the Command Center.

The Command Center was the scene of controlled chaos. People were rushing everywhere. Cameras that had survived the blast were feeding images to the computer screens in the room. When he felt that he had as many people as he was likely to get, the head of security simply said, "I'm joined here by members of the FBI, NSA, HPD, and Homeland Security. I need to know what everyone saw."

John heard a variety of people trying to give descriptions of a scene that generally didn't include the bomber. John cut off someone who was giving the same thing in only slightly different words. He identified himself and described what he had seen. His description wasn't simply, "Woman with bomb." His description was excruciatingly detailed. He gave descriptions of the location of the bomber, he described the woman in detail, he described what was near her. He described the bomb, having identified several components from his long experience with blowing things up. He described how the bomb was attached to her and how it was wired.

The room was silent as John spoke, his voice flat and neutral throughout his narration. When it became apparent that John had information that no one else had, everyone became silent and paid attention to his every word. It took him about ten minutes to finish his narrative, surprising even himself with some of the details he was able to recall. When he finished several people immediately left the room, all talking on phones and radios.

The head of security walked over to John and simply said, "Don't go anywhere."

"I'm going back to the scene. One of my team was killed. I'm going back to stay with the body until he can be removed."

The head of security wanted to object but at the same time wasn't able to argue. Without a word he simply nodded his head once.

John made his way quickly back to the scene, still abuzz with activity. He was pleased to see that rescue personnel had made progress on clearing the scene. His colleague was right where John had left him. Tired of waiting, John snagged two men with a stretcher and told them that his man was next.

Lifting his jacket from where he had placed it, John supervised the removal of the man's body and the on-site coroner's declaration of death. With that task completed, John put his jacket back on, exited the building and made his way to his temporary office. He knew exactly what he was after so he found it almost immediately.

A noise to his left caused John to look up just as one of his team members walked into the room. The man, as young as the others, was looking shell shocked. "You ok?" John asked.

"Yeah." They quickly caught one another up. The third and final missing person had been transported to the hospital with serious but non-life-threatening injuries. John relayed his news, knowing that it was going to come across like a punch to the gut because the two men had been good friends.

To his credit, the young man held himself together very well. "We need to tell his family," he said very matter-of-factly.

"That's what I was just getting ready to do. I came back to get his file and find his next-of-kin."

"I know them. May I accompany you, sir?"

"It would be an honor," John said simply. John hated this task but it was his duty.

Together the two men left the offices and made their way to a neighborhood that John had never seen. The houses were nice but not hideously, ridiculously overpriced like a lot of Honolulu property. When they parked, John put his hand on his colleague's arm. "You sure you're up for this?"

"I'd be lying if I said I was, sir, but I'm not going anywhere until this is done."

Together they walked up to the door and rang the bell. When the woman who answered the door saw a face she recognized, she said, "Jimmy! Why are you ringing the bell? You've never rang the bell in all the years I've known you!"

As she talked, the woman noticed that the two men in front of her were stone faced, silent, dirty, and bedraggled. Her smile vanished. "Where's Brad?"

"Sylvia. We've got some bad news. It's our sad duty to report that Brad was killed in the bombing at the Economic Summit. He died in the line of duty. He died doing what he was trained to do and what he wanted to do."

John was astonished that the young man by his side had been so together and had managed to handle himself and the news so well. The woman's face was blank. She simply nodded her head. "I've been watching the news."

Other members of the family arrived which allowed John to slip away, his duty completed. He suddenly found himself at a loss for what to do next. To a large degree he was still running on adrenaline, but the rush was starting to wind down. He made his way to the hospital where he checked on his last team member, finding the young man awake and doing basically pretty well, all things considered. The two men talked for a few minutes since John knew how traumatic it could be to go through such an experience the first time.

When he was satisfied that all was as good as it was going to be, John left and returned to the Command Center. As he expected, he was interviewed at length by numerous people who wanted to hear his account once again. After the third re-telling of his story, he lost his cool and said, "Enough! I've told the story. I've told it again. And I've told it again. I've lost one of my team. I'm exhausted. I'm going home. We can talk more tomorrow if you want."

When no one seriously objected – not that John cared at the moment – he made his way out of the building, past the rings of barricades and started walking. He shoved his hands into his pockets and kept walking, head down, deep in thought. He was pulled from his thoughts by the ringing of his cell phone. "What?" he said somewhat curtly.

"John! Are you ok? Where are you?" He heard Steve say.

"Steve. I'm walking. Where am I?" Spotting a street sign he read off the identifying street names.

"I'm not far away. I'll be there in three minutes. Don't go anywhere."

"Ok." John dropped to the curb and sat down to wait for Steve. The moment he was down he realized how very, very tired he was.

True to his word, Steve roared up in his truck about three minutes later. Before the truck had seemingly even stopped Steve jumped out and ran up to John. He grappled his partner in a hug that was nearly bone crushing in intensity. "Thank God you're ok."

"Yeah, I'm fine. Let's go home."

John got into the truck and waited for Steve to drive him home. Steve tried to talk but quickly realized that all he was getting were one word answers to all of his questions. His partner seemed totally preoccupied and elsewhere. Steve was tempted to drive directly to the hospital to get his boyfriend checked out since something was clearly wrong. He broached the subject.

"I think we should go to the hospital and get you checked out."

"Already been there. Twice. Don't want to go back. Take me home. I can walk if I have to."

"You're not walking home!" Steve protested, driving on toward their house. When he parked the truck, John was out and walking into the house before Steve even got the key out of the ignition and his door open.

Before he had moved two steps from his truck his cell phone rang. "McGarrett," he answered as he always did.

"Any word?" Danny asked since they had both been worried about John.

"Found him. We just drove in the driveway at home."

"Is he ok?" Danny asked, still really concerned about their friend.

Steve was about to give his usual "ok" as an answer but at the last second answered the question honestly. "No."

"I'm on my way."

"Ok," Steve said without argument.

Steve went inside the house, looking around for his partner. The pathway from the front door was littered with articles of clothing. Steve heard the shower running which answered the question of where John had gone. Steve picked up the clothes, noticing the variety of holes and tears in everything, especially the jacket and pants.

A breathless Danny came running into the house a few moments later, stopping when he saw Steve standing in the hallway examining a pair of pants. He held the jacket and pants up for Danny to examine. The two never said a word. They didn't have to. They were able to communicate volumes with their eyes alone.

The two men moved to the kitchen, sitting at the counter waiting for John to finish his shower. About five minutes later the man walked into the kitchen wearing a pair of shorts and no shirt. Without a word he walked to the freezer and pulled out a bottle of vodka he kept there for special occasions. With his back to Steve and Danny he took a big drink directly from the bottle, feeling the burn of the alcohol as it made its way down his throat. Reclosing the bottle he returned it to its spot in the freezer.

"John," Danny said with concern. "Your back is a mess."

"Oh?" he said, as if he didn't know what his friend was talking about, and he really didn't because he hadn't allow himself to think about any of the event yet. He had survived by compartmentalizing everything, and that compartment had not been opened yet.

"Come over here and sit on the stool so I can take a look." Without complaint, John moved to the seat and leaned forward. "Steve, you got any peroxide?"

"Of course."

"Get it. And some cotton, too if you have it."

Seconds later he was back with the requested items.

"Move that lamp over here," Danny ordered. "I need more light."

When Steve had the light positioned, Danny uttered a single word that summed up what he was seeing, "Jesus!" Taking a breath, Danny said, "We need to get you to the hospital, John."

"No hospital. Already been there."

"Well, you should get your money back since they didn't do a very good job."

"Not going back," was the only answer he got. He started to get up, but Danny pushed him back to the stool. "Let me see what I can do here if you won't go to see the doctor."

"You got tweezers, Steve?" he asked.

Again he raced away, returning almost immediately with a variety of implements. Over the course of the next half hour, Danny did his best to remove the tiny pieces of shrapnel and glass from his friend's neck, back, and backside. He knew there were more pieces likely left, but he knew that their removal was way beyond his skills.

"This must really hurt," Danny said.

"I took some Advil."

"Advil? You took some Advil? You need morphine or something strong like that! This must hurt like … I don't know what!"

"Yeah. Doesn't feel very good. You done?" he asked with a backwards glance.

"I want to put a bandage on this one," he said, touching John's shoulder at the area of one of the worst marks.

John hissed in pain. "Enough!" he yelled loudly, standing up.

"Babe," Steve said, putting his hand on John's arm.

"Everybody get their fucking hands off me!" John yelled, backing away from the two men. "Just get the fuck away from me for five minutes! Can you all just give me five fucking minutes!?" he said as he held up his hands.

"Sure, John," Danny said, hugely worried about his friend's physical and emotional condition.

John walked to the door to the lanai and disappeared outside into the dark. Steve and Danny both went over to the doorway to look, finally spotting the man walking across the sand toward the ocean.

"This is bad," Danny said.

Steve didn't answer since no words seemed capable of summing up his panic and concern. He had never seen John push him away. But then he'd never seen John in a situation quite as horrible as the one that had enveloped him so suddenly and unexpectedly that afternoon. He wanted to go after the man but he knew that he had to wait. John would talk when he was ready – when he was able. To go racing after him now would only make it worse.

Danny didn't think he had ever seen Steve look quite so lost or alone as he did at that moment. Danny put his arm around his friend and hugged him in commiseration and comfort.

Half an hour later, the door to the lanai slid open and John walked back inside the house, seemingly more composed. When he spotted his friends drinking a beer he asked, "You got another one of those?" He slid to a seat at the counter, grimacing in pain. "Sorry I yelled at you guys."

"Not a problem," Danny said.

They drank in silence for a few seconds, neither Steve nor Danny wanting to push John until he was ready to talk. When he spoke next it was simple. "I lost one of my guys this afternoon." No one said a word. "Went to tell his mother. She took it really well. Strong woman. He was a good kid. Kids shouldn't die like that." He stopped, finally losing his battle with self control. Tears flowed, pent up grief came pouring out. As best they could given his injuries, Steve and Danny held and comforted their friend just letting him cry. "This is crazy," he said as he tried to compose himself. "I've lost lots of guys before in battle."

"And that's it," Danny observed. "This wasn't a battle."

"No. It wasn't a battle. He wasn't a soldier. And he shouldn't have died. It was a senseless waste of life. Crazy bitch that blew herself up killed him."

"Is that what happened?" Steve asked. "Suicide bomber?"

John nodded his head.

"How the hell did she ever get a bomb inside that place?" Danny asked more to himself than anyone else.

"It was no amateur bomb, I'll tell you that," John said, shaking his head. "I saw her just before she set it off. She had C4 and who knows what else."

"They'll be able to check her out on the security footage," Steve said.

"Doesn't matter. She wasn't the culprit. She was just some mindless foot soldier, a drone. And behind her are cowards who don't have the balls to do their own dirty work. They have to send women and children to do what they won't do themselves."

John moved, grimacing in pain.

"Sorry to bring this up again, but you know me – never afraid to dive in with both feet. We need to get you to the hospital."

John sat quietly for a moment before nodding his head slightly. "Ok. It does really hurt. But I'll only go if you two don't leave me there alone." The pleading look he gave the two men was almost more than either of the two tough guys could take.

"I'd like to see someone try to get us apart," was all Danny had to say. "Now, how are we gonna do this? You probably shouldn't sit back."

"Can you drive my truck, Danny?" Steve asked.

"Sure. I can drive just about anything."

"If you don't drive too fast, we can probably ride in the back. John can lay on his stomach or side and I'll sit back there and hold onto him."

"Good idea." Grabbing the keys that Steve offered, Danny headed to the door to back the truck around closer to the door so that John didn't have far to move. Steve quickly grabbed several blankets and between the two of them they got a very uncomfortable John into the back of the truck and positioned so that there was no pressure on any of his wounds.

The temptation for Danny was to race at break-neck speeds to get his friend to the hospital but he knew he needed to take his time and not make the back too breezy and cool. John was dressed only in a pair of running short – nothing more. John didn't say this, but the breeze blowing over his back felt better than anything else had.

Traffic was miserable, most likely due to the chaos the bombing had created. Despite the heavier than usual traffic, Danny got them to the hospital in under 20 minutes. During the drive he had turned around to check on his passengers about every 30 seconds, constantly trying to assure himself that they were ok.

At the hospital he drove directly to the doorway to the ER, immediately jumping out to help Steve try to move John with as little discomfort as possible. They quickly determined that that was not possible. Whatever adrenaline and Advil and vodka he had had working in his favor earlier was all gone now and every move caused extreme discomfort. When they finally persuaded him to not try to help, but rather to let his friends move him, they were able to get him out of the truck bed and onto a waiting gurney lying on his stomach.

Whisked inside immediately, John and Steve vanished from sight. Danny parked the truck before racing inside. Rather than ask he simply went looking, quickly locating his friends. They already had two doctors and a couple of nurses looking at the many impact points on John's back, butt and legs. Somehow they had already dispensed with his running shorts, which revealed even more damage caused by flying debris.

At the doctor's order, nurses started IV lines in each hand, immediately administering a cocktail of medications that caused noticeable pain relief almost immediately. The lead doctor asked them to wait outside but neither Steve nor Danny would leave. "We promised we'd stay with him. Unless you've got an army waiting out there, we're not going anywhere," Steve explained simply yet forcefully.

"This is going to take awhile and it's not going to be pretty. It looks like someone did some work already."

"Me," Danny said. "He wouldn't even consider coming over here at first."

"Good work," the doctor said as he pulled up a stool and put on a pair of glasses that acted as magnifiers for extremely fine work. "And don't worry – there's enough drugs in his system to take down a small elephant. He won't feel anything or even remember any of this. But this is not going to be quick. You really should go out for awhile or your feet are going to be very tired from standing in one place for so long."

"Are you sure he's going to be out of it for awhile?"

"Guaranteed. I don't like people moving around while I'd digging around in their back. Makes it harder to work my magic. Go out. Get some coffee. This will not be a five minute patch job." So Steve consented to leaving to get some caffeine since it promised to be a long night.

Ten minutes later when they returned, however, they found the exam room where they had left John was now empty! Quickly grabbing the first person they spotted, Steve demanded to know where John had been moved. He didn't like the answer he got. "They took him up to the OR."

"Where?!" he demanded.

"Sixth floor, but no one is allowed up there."

"I'm going up there. I need to know what happened in just ten minutes." Yelling now, he made his point. "When we left here ten minutes ago the doctor said _**they'd be right here**_. Now they're gone! I need to know what happened in those ten minutes!"

Unfazed, the nurse answered, "I wasn't in that room so I don't have the details, but let me check at the desk and find someone who has the full story." She stepped away but was back in 30 seconds. "The folks who were with your friend all went upstairs to transport him to the OR. I don't have all the details, but it sounds like the doctor found some shrapnel in your friend's back that he didn't feel comfort removing himself."

"We're going up there," Danny stated.

"I'm sorry, but the best place to wait is the waiting room on the second floor."

"We're going to six," Steve said with no hesitation.

"Sir, don't make me call the police."

He turned back to woman and pulled his shirt aside to reveal his badge still clipped to his belt. "We _are_ the police."

It took them a few minutes to find the best elevator to take up to the sixth floor. Their arrival was fortuitously timed since they encountered the doctor they had been dealing with downstairs along with one of the nurses, both standing beside John on his rolling bed.

"What the hell happened?" Steve demanded none too gently.

"Not to worry, gentlemen. We found some glass embedded deeply in one place and I wanted to get some help removing it safely. We also needed some equipment to do some scans and make sure we're not missing anything. We don't have the proper imaging equipment downstairs. We're only set up for triage before shipping people out to either home or experts in one area or another."

"What's happening now?" Danny asked.

"We're waiting for a room to open up."

Steve knelt down and touched his partner's face. "John, we're here."

"Hey, Steve," a sleepy voice responded. "Danno here, too?"

"Right here, buddy," Danny said, kneeling down as best he could on his bum knee. "How you feeling, babe?"

"Fine. Really sleepy."

"Don't fight it," Steve suggested. "Just get some sleep. We're staying. We'll be here when you wake up from your nap. You've earned a rest after the day you've had."

"Steve?" John said.

"Yeah, babe?"

"I really need to pee."

"He needs to pee!" Steve said with alarm. "Get something for him to pee into." Everyone looked around, not finding anything. Danny solved the problem. He held a water bottle in one hand. He found a place, poured out the remaining contents, and then passed the bottle to Steve. Steve managed to get the head of John's dick right at the opening neck of the bottle.

"Ok, babe, let 'er rip. We got you covered."

With a grunt of satisfaction, John released a flow or urine that had clearly been building for awhile. Since he was dehydrated, his urine was extremely concentrated and almost "thick" in appearance.

Danny was becoming concerned as the water bottle was filling up very quickly. He started to look around for a back up urinal but was spared the trouble when John finished.

"Good job, babe," Steve said to his partner, giving him a quick kiss. He handed the bottle to Danny.

"What am I supposed to do with this?" he asked.

"You give it to me," a nurse said, capping it, labeling it, and taking it to the lab for immediate testing.

"No argument," Danny said in simple agreement.

A few moments later the operating room opened up and John was wheeled inside. Neither Steve nor Danny were permitted entry. "This is a sterile room and we're going to be working very hard to minimize infection already so we can't have anyone who's not properly scrubbed down in here. There's a waiting room down at the end of the hall," the doctor said. "Go wait there and I'll come talk with you as soon as I can."

The OR doors automatically closed, robbing them of the sight of their friend.

They found the waiting room which was mostly empty given the hour. Steve decided to call Chin and let him know that they would likely not be in in the morning and why. Chin wanted details which Steve provided the best he could.

Danny and Steve paced in the small room. Danny tried distracting Steve by talking with him around random bullshit, but Steve was too concerned. Every time there was some noise in the hallway they hoped and prayed that it was someone coming to bring them news. An hour after speaking with him, Steve was surprised to see Chin and Kono walk into the waiting room "What are you two doing here?" he asked in utter surprise.

"We're a team," Kono said; nothing more. Kono and Chin handed Steve and Danny two cups of fresh coffee that they had picked up at Starbucks on the way to the hospital. Danny bubbled over with thanks, practically inhaling one of his favorite Starbucks selections.

"How did you know this was my favorite?" he asked both Chin and Kono.

It was Chin's turn to respond. "We're a team."

Steve sat down in one of the hard back chairs in the waiting room, putting his head down between his knees to stretch his sore back. Kono sat beside him and draped an arm across his shoulders. When he didn't complain or pull away, she added her second hand and started to massage the very tight muscles in his neck and upper back. She heard a groan which she took as approval, continuing his ministrations.

Waiting was always the hardest thing to do. Even a normally patient person found prolonged periods of waiting to be torturous. And Steve was not necessarily the most patient of men to start. So after two hours with no word, he was becoming positively frazzled. He paced. Danny paced. Kono and Chin sat quietly letting their friends burn off nervous energy.

At 2:30 am when they heard noises from the hallway they all looked to the door hoping that it would be the doctor returning with news. They were all startled to see the Governor walk in. For the first time in his experience, the Governor was without make-up, was wearing sweat pants and a faded t-shirt and a baseball cap – certainly less glamorous clothes than she typically wore when members of 5-0 met with or dealt with her.

"Governor," Steve said. "What are you doing here?"

"I just heard. How is he?"

"We don't know. No one has told us anything in hours – not since they took him into the OR."

"Let me see if I can find out what's happening," she said, walking off to the nearest nurse's station. She was immediately recognized; if she hadn't been, she was fully prepared to introduce herself and use any influence her celebrity brought to bear on the situation. She conferred with several nurses and a couple of doctors for nearly five minutes before thanking them and returning to the waiting room.

Again everyone looked up hopefully when they heard her approach. "I spoke to a doctor who called the OR for a status report. They're all finished. He did great. They're just about to move him to a room. The doctor should be out in a few minutes."

Steve smiled and sighed, "Thank you!"

"Gentlemen!" they heard, everyone looking up. "I see you have some friends here with you now. Let me find a place for us to talk privately."

"No," Steve said. "They're family. We're all his family." The doctor looked the variety of nationalities and of course the Governor but didn't question Steve's description.

He sat down in one of the chairs in the waiting room and gave them an update. "Ok. We're all done. Your friend did just fine. It wasn't as bad as it looked. None of the injuries were life-threatening but a couple of them were more tricky to deal with than the others.

"His vitals are strong and have been all the way through. We've done multiple CT scans and can't find any other pieces of anything that shouldn't be there. Everything that needed stitching has been stitched. We've applied antibiotic ointment and got him on a strong course of antibiotics by IV. Needless to say, he's getting pain meds and sedating medications to keep him comfortable. We've bandaged everything.

"He needs to keep everything dry for at least the next four or five days. We'll keep him here tonight – or what's left of it – and monitor him as the anesthesia drugs leave his system.

"He's not going to be able to lie on his back for some time. Sitting should be possible on padded cushions and for limited periods of time – long enough to eat, for example, maybe watch a TV program, provided you can find anything on TV worth watching. Any questions?" he asked.

"When can we see him?"

"He's being moved to his room – 512 – in a few minutes. If you want to go down there and wait he should be along shortly."

"When can he go home?" Steve asked.

"If everything goes well, I'd say 24 hours, maybe 36 hours given the hour."

"So, tonight plus one more night?" Danny asked for clarification.

"Sounds good to me. All subject to change as needed based on his status."

"Oh, so he might get out earlier, you're saying?" Danny joked.

"Earlier would take a mighty strong man."

"I see you haven't met John yet," Danny said very matter-of-factly.

The doctor chuckled. "Not really, but I look forward to seeing him awake and alert."

"No, you don't," Danny said. "I suspect he's going to be a lousy patient."

"More than 50% of the people we see fall into that category," the doctor responded.

"Thanks," everyone said as the doctor headed off to deal with another patient.

"Do you mind if I tag along?" the Governor asked Steve.

"Not at all. I think we should all go. This is the time for ohana – family."

The rag tag group made their way down one level to John's room, arriving just a few moments before the star came rolling in. Steve heard a gasp from Kono and the Governor who got a look at John before he did. The man was covered in bandages and cocooned in a spider web of monitoring cables. That combined with two IV poles, one on each side of the bed, would startle anyone. A nurse quickly dealt with their anxiety. "Don't worry – it's not nearly as bad as it looks. He's doing great! I'm actually surprised he didn't get up and help us push the bed down here. He's much better than he looks."

"Good, because he looks like crap!" Danny commented in open honesty.

"Well, wouldn't you if someone had just been digging around in your back, your butt, and your legs for a couple of hours?" she asked.

"Fair enough," he said, liking the spirit of the woman who was dealing with his best friend.

As his mind drifted a little – it was the middle of the night after all – Danny was jerked back to the present when he heard the nurse say, "Yo! Pretty boy!"

Danny looked up with a start.

"Yes, you! Could you move that cord?" she asked, pointing to a power cord that was in the way of one of the wheels of the bed."

Danny did as asked which required that he bend over to grab the errant cable. "Nice butt, big boy!"

"Hey!" he complained. "Pretty boy? Nice butt? What's this all about? No checking out my butt."

"Why not?" he heard a weak voice ask. "You ashamed of your butt, Danno?"

"Hey, look who's awake!"

"Nah, I'm not really awake. I'm so buzzed I can't feel my eye lashes or my finger nails."

"Why would you want to feel your eye lashes?" Danny asked.

"Why not? You got something against eye lashes as well, Danno? You got some serious body issues, bro'."

"You know, I think I liked it better when you were unconscious."

Since the hour was late and the room was crowded, Chin and Kono said their goodbyes and headed home which left just three visitors with the patient. The nurses finally had John settled to their satisfaction; the one seeming to have a serious attraction to Danny. "You know," he said to the woman as she was preparing to leave, "if it wasn't 4:00 in the morning and I wasn't asleep I'd be more fun."

"Not a problem. I like 'em compliant."

"Many words can be used to describe Danny Williams," Steve said, "but 'compliant' isn't one of them."

"Don't worry, I can train him." Turning to Danny she asked, "So when are you taking me to dinner?"

"What dinner?" he asked, confused.

"The one you're inviting me to."

"I don't …"

"You're cute with that deer-in-the-headlights look. You really are tired, aren't you? Don't worry, I'll take care of you." She grabbed a piece of paper from her pocket, wrote her name and phone number on it and shoved it into his shirt pocket. "Call me when you wake up. I'll make it all better." Danny jumped when he felt the woman grab his ass as she passed.

The Governor and Steve both worked very hard to suppress their laughter, both eventually failing.

"You know what?" he asked in a huff, "Fuck you both."

"Danno," John said from the bed, "is that any way to address the Governor of the state?"

"Oh, I nearly forgot you were there," Danny said honestly.

"I've got to get a better class of visitors," John joked.

"I thought they were going to keep you sedated?" Danny said.

"I told them to cut the dose in half since I'm a big, strong, tough guy."

"Ah, ok. So it won't hurt if I whack you on the back of your head?"

"No. Remember? I can't feel my eye lashes or finger nails. Back of my head is way beyond my means at the moment."

"Too bad your lips aren't numb," Danny complained.

"Nah! Had feeling back in them almost immediately."

"Lovely."

"Ok," John said. "I'm really tired, so I'm going to sleep. I want all of you to go home and get some sleep, but only after you see the Governor safely to her door. I didn't go through all this just to see some punk-ass mugger get her on a deserted street in the middle of the night."

"You sure?" Steve asked.

"Yes. I'd get up and hug you, but …"

Steve leaned over and kissed the top of his partner's head and holding his hand on a part of John's hand that wasn't covered with IVs and monitoring wires. "Sleep well, babe."

"Already am."

"Governor, can we offer you a ride?"

"Yes, that would be good. Are you sure you're awake enough to drive?"

"Don't worry, I'll make Danno drive. He's always complaining he never gets to drive."

"Not at 4:00 in the frickin' morning!" Danny complained as the trio left the room and made their way out of the hospital into the pre-dawn morning.

When the nurse saw the trio leave, she slipped back into the room and checked on her favorite patient. "You need anything, John, you press the buzzer and I'll come running."

"What did you think of him?" John asked, speaking of Danny.

"He's cute!"

"Told you!" he said with a hint of a smile. He might be injured, but that didn't stop John from playing matchmaker. He always believed in striking when least expected for the most effective results. He went to sleep a few moments later with a smile on his face. The next night there was even a bigger smile when he got to sleep at home in his own bed next to his partner.


End file.
